Son of Frost
by rrraven
Summary: Years before Thor landed in New Mexico, Loki was cast down to Midgard into the body of an infant. After his mortal death, Odin erased Loki's memories of ever being Lily Potter. Years later, the beginning of Harry's fourth year takes a wild turn when a certain god of thunder crashes the welcoming feast in search of his long lost nephew. Good!Loki. Pairings undecided.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my first fic, some important story notes to know beforehand:

 **Updates:** The first six or so chapters are fully outlined and I know where I mostly want this plot to end up. We're aiming for maybe 15 chapters total. I won't promise weekly updates, but I will do my best to post regularly and barring my sudden demise this story won't likely be abandoned.

 **Pairings:** I have no idea yet which pairings, if any, will happen in this story. I'm open to suggestions though. If there's one in particular that a lot of you guys want it'll probably happen (with some exceptions).

 **Harry's abilities:** This will NOT be a super!Harry fic. He will not become a frost giant or immortal or have any special powers that don't exist in canon.

 **Loki:** This is good!Loki as in he wasn't responsible for the Chitauri invasion. Events of the first Thor still happened. I'll try to keep him from becoming any more ooc than the main premise requires.

 **Loki's children:** There will be references to Loki's mythological children at certain points. Don't panic, they will NOT feature as major characters or possibly at all as anything other than backstory props. No knowledge of the mythology will be necessary to read this fic.

That's it for now. On with the show!

* * *

Thunder rolled across the sky sending clouds swirling throughout the ceiling of the Great Hall. Raindrops fell thick and heavy, fading from existence just before impact with the people below. Lightning flashed prompting admiring oohs and ahh's from the newly sorted first years. It was an impressive sight, Harry mused as he recalled the first such storm he had witnessed on this ceiling during his own first year. He reluctantly turned his attention away from the enchanted night sky and back to Professor Dumbledore's speech.

The rest of the Hall seemed either excited about the upcoming tournament, or dead tired. Harry belonged to the latter group; sleepy and full from his first decent meal since the beginning of summer. The headmaster's speech was starting to grow long and had already been interrupted for several minutes by the abrupt entrance of Professor Moody.

"-delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of-" Dumbledore was suddenly interrupted for the second time that night by the doors of the Great Hall being thrown open with a mighty bang.

This was no new Professor or late arrival, however. Standing in the doorway illuminated by another flash of lightning was a rather striking figure. He strode purposefully toward the Head table, long blond hair and blood red cape flowing behind him.

"That's _Thor_!" hissed Hermione from her seat next to Harry. Murmurs and whispers ignited throughout the Hall. Everyone knew who Thor was. The Battle of New York and the Avengers had dominated the news both magical and muggle for the past several months. The reveal of aliens, super humans, and magic-wielding gods all at once had been a major discussion topic in the magical world, sparking several debates about the future of the Statute of Secrecy.

Harry himself had witnessed some of the live broadcast on the Dursley's television. Amongst their fearful mutterings and derisive comments toward "those super freaks", they had forgotten to shoo Harry away from the living room like they usually did.

Thor's eyes roamed over the House tables before he finally stopped before Albus Dumbledore, who for once seemed just as confused as the rest of them.

What possible business could a Norse god have at Hogwarts?

"I am Thor, Son of Odin. I am in search of my nephew. Might I find him here?" Dumbledore's brows raised in surprise, but he quickly schooled his expression as he replied, eyes twinkling;

"I'm afraid I am not aware of any Asgardians currently residing in this castle. If I may, whom exactly are you looking for?"

"Harry James Potter, Son of Loki."

The Great Hall erupted. Thor resumed his visual search of the students, seemingly unconcerned by the pandemonium his answer caused. Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle. Hermione was at a loss for words. Ron was shouting questions to no one in particular.

Harry felt like his stomach had just dropped into his feet.

There were hands on his arms, trying to get his attention and voices clamouring to be heard but Harry could not feel them past the ice in his veins, nor hear them past the roaring in his ears. This had to be a joke, or a horrible mistake. _Loki's son?_ This was insane.

It was then that Thor's eyes finally landed on Harry's. The god beckoned him over, but Harry remained frozen in his seat. It was only with a great shove from Hermione that he rose, stumbling towards Thor. The man was smiling widely, looking for all the world like an oversized Golden Retriever happy to see its owner. Harry was abruptly pulled into a bear hug, crushed between two massive biceps that rivaled Hagrid's in size and strength. He stiffened, face pressed uncomfortably against Thor's breastplate.

The god pulled back, hands still clasping Harry's arms, and looked him up and down. "Alright," he said "Let us go home." He turned and began ushering Harry back to the entrance doors.

"W-wait!" Harry spluttered. "What the bloody hell is going on?!" Thor let go of his arm, looking sheepish. Harry quickly took a step back.

"I must ask you the same thing." said Dumbledore as he stood from his chair. "I cannot allow you to abduct one of my students. Please explain yourself." he added with a dangerous edge to his voice. Harry sighed with relief as Thor started to speak.

"My apologies. It is common," he began, "after a great error is committed, for Odin the Allfather to cast down the offender to live as a mortal here on Midgard in order to learn humility. My brother Loki was given this punishment years ago, as I was just recently. Unlike myself, Loki was cast into the body of an infant with no memories of himself or his home. He lived out his mortal life with no idea of his past, until upon his death he was brought back to Asgard with his form and memory restored."

"So… you're saying the baby he became… was my father?" Harry asked, mind whirling as his entire worldview was flipped upside down.

"No, no", Thor smiled. "The form Loki took was female. His mortal name was Lily Evans."

Pandemonium again. Before Harry could digest the news or even react, Thor was talking again.

"Upon his return to Asgard, Loki was very distressed. I was not present at the time, but I hear he fairly decimated the throne room. The Allfather erased his memories of his mortal life." He looked down, ashamed.

"My brother's memories were not restored until very recently." He placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, covering them completely with his palms. "I swear to you, if either of us had known, nothing would have stopped him finding you."

Harry swallowed thickly. He didn't know yet how he felt about Thor's outrageous tale, or if he even believed it, but some small part of him was soothed by Thor's promise. He hadn't just been given back one of his parents and a family only to learn he had been willfully abandoned.

He didn't know what to do. Harry looked to the staff table, hoping for some kind of support. Most of the professors held varying expressions of shock and disbelief. Dumbledore's face was stony and unreadable. At the far end of the table, Snape was looking distinctly ill.

For a few seconds Harry considered resisting but his heart, the part that yearned to know what it felt like to feel the love of a parent was screaming for him to believe. If this was real, his deepest desire was about to come true. Well, half of it anyway.

Thor began leading him to the doors again. Harry shakily followed. He was going to meet his _mother. I have an uncle and he's taking me to my mother,_ Harry thought somewhat hysterically, _and they're both_ _ **gods.**_

So much for finally having a normal school year.

He didn't know if the Hall was just too shocked to move or if simply no one dared cast any magic at Thor, but they managed to make it outside before anyone tried to stop them.

Thor urged Harry into a run towards the gates as staff members poured out of the main entrance after them. Harry heard their shouts for him to stop, but Thor's hand was warm and real against his arm and that meant his mother could be too. He had to take that chance.

Spells were whizzing past them now. One of them hit the war hammer in the god's other hand, only to be reflected back at greater speed. Thor finally used said hammer to crash the gates open and skidded them to a stop.

"Heimdall!" he cried, and the world was enveloped in bright lights.

* * *

The professors came to a halt at the edge of an intricate circle burned into the grass just outside of the Hogwarts wards. Thor and Harry Potter had vanished.

"What is this Albus?" gasped Professor McGonagall. The Headmaster kneeled down to study the symbols. He stood, looking grave.

"I do not know."

* * *

Harry gasped as he took in the golden otherworldly architecture of what he assumed had to be Asgard. He felt as though he had just been blinded then thrown forward at very great speed. He had landed upright however, which still made it far more pleasant than any Wizarding form of travel.

The floor beneath his feet stretched on into an enormous bridge, sparkling with thousands of colors. He mentally revised the Great Hall's ceiling placement on his mental list of most impressive sights.

Thor walked forward to center of the dome they were under toward what Harry had initially mistaken for a statue in his peripheral vision. The golden armor-clad man's eyes seemed to look both at and _through_ the both of them as he spoke with deep voice.

"It was as we suspected; I could not See you once you passed through the barrier of the blank space. It would seem that not all of these spaces are blocked by Midgard's natural wild magic, but by man." He seemed troubled by this.

Thor nodded seriously. "Beyond the barrier lied an entire castle, filled with many Midgardian youths."

"I see nothing but ruins and blankness." The Asgardian replied, brow furrowing further.

"Er...Are you talking about the wards?" Harry felt compelled to speak up, "I don't know much about them, but I know that they keep mug- non magical people away with a charm so that they only see a ruined castle instead of the real thing."

He shifted as the man focused his intense gaze to him. "That is...troubling to know that mortals have discovered a way to block my Sight. You must be Harry Lokison. I am Heimdall; my duty is to keep watch over the Nine Realms and control the Bifrost, by which you and Thor traveled here. Please, what can you tell of these wards?"

"Well they keep out muggles and you can't apparate -that is, teleport- in or out of Hogwarts. Er…" Harry tried to recall what other information Hermione had imparted to him and Ron from her recitations of _Hogwarts, A History._ "There's wards to keep out animals as well, and ones for certain dark or dangerous magic. The library has books about warding, I could er, loan some to you? If you'd like?"

He cringed at himself. Loaning library books to an apparently omniscient all-seeing god? What? But Heimdall just smiled approvingly.

"I would very much appreciate that, Lokison. I'm sure that we will meet again soon. I believe I have held you two from your destination for long enough, however."

"Perhaps my brother could also impart some knowledge-" Thor began as he moved to Harry's side, only to be cut off by Heimdall.

"No," he smiled wryly. "We… are not on good terms. Beside that, I fear Loki must stay far from Asgard at this time. Goodbye, and good luck." He directed the last part solely to Harry as the Bifrost began to shine. In the next moment, he and Thor were gone.

* * *

Heimdall continued smiling. He was quite impressed with the lad, not many treated him like a normal being; either intimidated by his abilities or only interested in abusing them for their own means. He had also remained rather calm and reserved despite the extreme shock he must be feeling.

 _Yes,_ thought the watcher as he turned his gaze to Midgard. _Young Harry will make a fine candidate for a future Prince of Asgard._

* * *

So there it is, the first chapter. How did I do? Please tell me your thoughts!

 **Chapter Fun Fact:** During Ragnarok, the prophesied end of the world (and title of the third _Thor_ movie) Loki and Heimdall fight and kill each other. So they're literally destined to hate each other.

 **Next Time:** Harry meets Loki (and an Avenger or two), learns how he came to be, and the truth behind the Chitauri invasion. Dumbledore reacts to Harry's kidnapping.


	2. Chapter 2

You Guys! I never expected my first ever fic to get even half as much attention that it did for the first chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. There were views from like 70 different countries all around the world. That is SO COOL. *chin hands*

Okay notes:

 **Pairings:** So far Harry/Hermione is winning with pretty much all the votes. One person also requested Harry/any avenger and Harry/Heimdall (which is a pairing I never knew I needed til now, thanks french guest!) but sadly neither of those will happen in this fic as our bro HP is only 14. Loki on the other hand is still open for pairings.

 **Bashing:** A few of you brought up Dumbledore and whether he'll be bashed/have Loki sicced on him for being a manipulative jerk. So this is me letting you know that yes, there will be some light bashing in that sense but ultimately he's still a good guy, albeit one with way too much power in the wizarding world and has made a lot of mistakes. Odin's character will be handled similarly.

Probably some light Ron bashing too since this is GoF where his jealousy is at its worst and chapter one shook things up a bit for him. Hope that doesn't turn anyone off too much. I'll still do my best to keep everyone in character, just pointing out and taking them to task for some of the things they've done.

 **Extras:** Shoutout to _Terra King_ for writing long PMs back and forth with me the past few days and helping me to figure out some future parts of this story. Thank you so much.

Oh, and shoutout to _JuMiKu_ , who hilariously narrated Snape's internal monologue during chapter one in their review. Thanks for making me laugh!

On to the second chapter:

* * *

Harry and Thor reappeared on the roof of a tall building in a burst of light. Harry took a moment to observe the busy New York City streets below. He idly wondered in the back of his mind what time it was; the sky was only just beginning to darken and streak with the colors of sunset, rather than the night it had been in Scotland.

"Welcome Harry, to Avengers Tower." Thor smiled gently as he led Harry inside and into an elevator.

Everything suddenly felt far too real. He felt hyper aware as he took in the gleaming metal walls, the feel of Thor's cape brushing against his arm, his own rabbiting heartbeat which refused to slow. And that was before the voice from the ceiling greeted them and asked which floor they wanted. Harry was pretty sure he had literally jumped in surprise.

But Thor just placed a comforting hand on his back as the doors opened up into what appeared to be some kind of Common room. It looked nothing like those of Hogwarts however; all sharp modern furniture and minimal color, rather than the loud eclectic collection of furnishings in Gryffindor house. Somehow, it felt even more alien to Harry than his brief view of Asgard had.

"I shall go find my brother," Thor started. "Will you be alright remaining here until I return?" Harry nodded silently, not trusting his voice to work properly as his anxiety steadily climbed.

Thor vanished down the long hallway to his left, and Harry was left alone in the rapidly dimming light coming in from the large glass windows. His stomach twisted in knots. How on earth did he end up here? He had _run away from school._ He believed a man he'd just met and thrown all common sense and caution to the wind. He had traveled to another _universe._

What if this was just some horrible joke? A fluke? Some utterly ridiculous Death Eater plot? Wasn't Loki responsible for the alien invasion? What if he was evil - _lying-_ for some nefarious purpose? Would he even be _allowed back_ to Hogwarts after this?

Harry didn't realise he was hyperventilating until he was suddenly crouched on the floor, gasping for air. It felt like a Dementor had a cold hand clenched around his sternum and his pounding heart was too loud in his ears and he _couldn't breathe-_

"Whoa kiddo, calm down!" A voice suddenly cut through Harry's panic as a new man entered the room and immediately dropped to the floor beside him.

"It's alright, you're safe here. C'mon, breathe with me. Nice and slow, that's it. I'm Clint, what's your name kiddo?" The man, Clint, had drawn one of Harry's hands to his chest so he could feel the steady pattern of his breaths while he kept up a soothing stream of comforting and distracting words, as if sitting on the floor and dealing with stranger's panic attacks was an everyday occurrence.

"I'm H-harry." he managed to spit out between gasps, as his eyes finally focused enough to glance at his helper beside him. Clint was blond, with a rough but kind face and tanned skin. He was wearing a purple shirt and grey sweatpants. Harry felt his breathing begin to level out while he distracted himself with the details of Clint's appearance ( _there was a hole near the hem of his shirt, and the man was barefoot_ ). He finally managed a deep, steady breath in and out.

"Th-thanks." He said, and as soon as he trusted his legs not to buckle, he scrambled to his feet. Clint followed suit.

"Harry, right. You're Loki's kid! Glad you're finally here, everyone around here was going nuts trying find you." He moved to lean against one of the long white couches near them and gestured Harry to sit down.

"Pretty overwhelming, huh? I get it. Seriously if I were in your shoes I'd be panicking too." Harry blushed, the last few minutes had been highly embarrassing but he took some small comfort from Clint's honest tone.

"I'm betting that Thor wasn't very detailed or diplomatic to whoever you were with but, well, he was the only one who _could_ go, you know? So." He asked, "Which part is freaking you out most?"

"My m...L-loki," Harry stumbled over the name, "Wasn't he… didn't he lead the invasion?"

" _Oh._ Right, I guess you haven't seen the news lately. Loki wasn't exactly- in control. He had this staff; he used to it mind control people into working for him." Clint's jaw clenched at that. "He used it on me. But… the staff was controlling _him_ too. Something else was pulling the strings...

"We all thought Loki had orchestrated the whole thing. Thor was getting ready to take him back to Asgard for his sentencing when he noticed that his eyes were blue instead of their normal color."

 _Green_ , Harry thought as he mulled over this new information. _Like mine._

"Apparently everyone who was brainwashed by the staff had these bright blue eyes-I don't really remember that part while I was under- and so we bashed him on the head a few times 'til he uh, woke up." Clint rubbed the back of his own head with a sympathetic wince.

"There was this big shockwave of something. Magic, I guess. And that's when he started screaming for you. There was some kind of memory loss voodoo or something? I'm not too clear on that part. Anyway, breaking the mind control _and_ the memory block took a lot out of him. He's been laid up here in the tower to recover while the rest of us worked on tracking you down." Clint finished.

Harry felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He still didn't know the full story but at least he wasn't being led straight toward another Voldemort. He didn't know what else to ask Clint so he kept his eyes glued to the floor. His ratty old trainers looked even worse contrasted with the pristine hardwood floor beneath them. Clint didn't seem to have anything more to say either, so they sat in companionable silence until Thor returned.

"Friend Clint!" "Hey big guy." The two men greeted each other.

"Come, nephew." Thor waved. Clint patted Harry on the back as he rose to follow Thor, then started walking in the opposite direction as them. "Nice to meet you," he called over his shoulder. Harry just nodded weakly.

Thor led him through the dimly lit hallways until they finally arrived at a plain, unremarkable door.

"I shall leave you to your reunion." Thor spoke quietly. Harry would have much preferred that he stay, but before he thought to say anything, the god was already halfway down the hall.

He stared at where his hand rested on the doorknob and waited, screwing up all of the Gryffindor courage he could. It felt fake. He was still incredibly nervous and vaguely terrified, but isn't that what bravery is? Acting despite fear?

He opened the door.

* * *

Clint slowed to a stop as Natasha emerged from the shadows and stepped to his side.

"Something's not right." She murmured, staring in the direction Harry and Thor had disappeared to. Clint nodded.

"The kid flinched bad when I first touched him. And he's way too thin, like he hasn't had a decent meal in months." Clint knew what that looked like, had seen it in himself and his brother back when they were on the streets, before the circus.

"He's got a couple bruises, likely some more on his torso with the way he held himself. A few scars as well. Abuse?" Natasha questioned, though they both knew the answer as she said it. Her voice held a detached, clinical tone but Clint could tell there was a righteous anger bubbling beneath. He felt it too.

"Probably." He sighed. "Let's go talk to Tony, he's the one who found the kid after all."

"I almost feel sorry for whoever's responsible. They're about to have some very dangerous people after them." Nat smiled wickedly.

The two walked down to the lab in complete silence, footsteps never making a sound.

* * *

Harry closed the door behind him. He was in a bedroom. It was a refreshing contrast to the harshly modern common area; with blue walls and rugs and warm wooden furniture.

His eyes traveled up the white bed sheets until green eyes met green.

The man before him was sickly looking and pale, but there was no mistaking him for anything but Loki, God of Lies and Mischief. He was wearing a plain long sleeved black shirt, and sweatpants that appeared to match Clint's.

He simply stared at Harry for a long moment. Harry stared back, unable to think of anything to say. He moved slowly to the chair set near the left side of the bed and sat, fidgeting under the heavy weight of the god's gaze. He appeared to be trying to memorize every inch of Harry's face before he spoke.

" _Harry_ …I-" Loki's voice wavered, somewhat rusty. "… perhaps it would be easier… like this." He waved one hand as his form seemed to flicker at the edges with golden light.

Suddenly it was no longer Loki before him, but _Lily_.

She was even more beautiful than the few photos Harry had of her implied. Flowing, shiny red hair fanned around her shoulders. Her face had softened, become more feminine, but Harry could still see the echo of Loki's features in hers. And in his own.

Their eyes were still the same.

It was this that finally broke him. His mother was _alive_. She was _here._ Harry was only tangentially aware of the tears starting to slip down his cheeks as he simply drank in the sight of the one woman he had dreamed about knowing all his life.

Her eyes were watery too, as she continued.

"I'm so sorry. My _son._ You were the one thing that- that I was supposed to be able to _keep-_ " she fairly snarled the last word as a tear of her own began to fall.

She paused, collecting herself. Harry took the opportunity to take off his glasses and swipe at his eyes.

"...You know of Odin, and of Thor's arrival on Midgard as a human?" Harry nodded, he was only vaguely aware of the story, but he knew that Odin had cast Thor down as punishment, and he only gained his powers back when he'd learned his lesson.

"Dear _father_ ," Lily (Loki?) continued with sarcastic emphasis on the title, "cast me out years earlier, into the form of an infant. This original body was stillborn, an empty vessel without a soul. Easy for my own to be shoved into its place. I was to live out a mortal life with no memory of Asgard, and be restored there upon this body's death.

"But Odin did not care that this body I took was female, or realise his error in erasing my memory. He didn't consider that I could fall in love with a mortal." Her face contorted in pain.

"Your father was...good-so _good._ He did not deserve… any of it. _Me._ But I loved him anyway, and we both loved you. So much."

Harry felt as though he could choke on the intensity of emotion in the room. Lily didn't look much better. He drew in on himself, hugging his arms to his chest and pulling his feet up onto his seat.

"That Hallowe'en night… the night I was killed, I woke up in my true body, in Asgard. I tried to leave, to get back to you but… I was so angry, so afraid. Half out of my mind from the trauma I told Odin just why I needed to return." She chuckled bitterly, a dark, dreadful sound.

"I had inadvertently committed the very crime I had been punished for. Producing a child. Another monster, in the eyes of the Allfather. One more to be taken away." Her voice grew flat, emotion deadened. Her eyes were rimmed with red.

"I fought, but I wasn't strong enough. He took my memories. Left false ones in their places. Unremarkable ones I never looked at closely. I'm sorry, _so_ sorry. I left you behind, let him erase you away- and for that I'll never forgive myself." She finished. Her eyes slipped closed as she leaned back against the headboard, breathing harshly.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He finally let go of his fear and doubts. That kind of pain; such _love_ couldn't be faked. And it was all he'd ever wanted. He'd react to the rest later.

So he pitched himself forward into his mother's arms, and finally let himself cry for the family he'd never had, and the piece he'd just been given back. Lily's hands moved up to cradle him carefully, as though either one of them might shatter if she held on too tight.

Her hair was just as soft against his face as it looked, and her scent was achingly familiar. Even as Lily's form flickered once more into that of Loki, his smell remained the same.

"My apologies. Though shifting may be one of my more simpler magics, I am unable to maintain it for long in this state." Loki murmured into Harry's hair.

"It's okay." Harry replied. He wasn't one to judge someone over their appearance, or ambiguously changing gender, as the case may be. He finally pulled back from the embrace and sat on the edge of the bed rather than take the chair again. Silence lapsed over the room once more.

"Wait. Did you say _another_ child? Do I have _**siblings**_?" Harry asked incredulously. Loki nodded, but his lips were pressed into a thin line and his expression was...off. He sounded increasingly bitter as he began to name them;

"The first was a mistake, the product of rape; Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. I still loved him deeply despite his form and painful origin. He was still _mine_. Odin forbid me to see him after I gave birth. He dares use him as his own steed, as though he were a common _animal._ " Loki bit out harshly, hurt and guilt clearly written all over his face.

"The next three were born of myself and the giantess Angrboda, but none took after either of our forms. Odin and the others were fearful of them, and took them away before they grew too powerful to control. Fenrir, the wolf. Jörmungandr, the world serpent. Hel, goddess of Niflheim; the realm of the dead.

"And lastly Nari and Váli. They were not monsters, but I could not bear the thought of having them taken like the others. I asked their mother, Sigyn, to flee with them somewhere Odin could not follow. I've not seen any of them since." Loki finished miserably.

Harry's head was spinning. _Six_ half siblings! He spared only a moment's thought to their strange forms. Most mythological figures had crazy back stories, right? He desperately wanted to meet them but… they were lost, chained up in other realms.

"That… that's not fair! So what if they weren't Asgardian or whatever, why would he… isn't Odin your father?" Harry questioned. Loki's face twisted in some dark emotion.

"Not by blood. But that is a story for another time. I do not know why he took you all away from me. Is there… anything else you wish to know?"

Harry thought for a minute, dozens of questions whirling through his mind before he finally settled on the one most precious to him.

"Could you tell me more about you and… and dad?"

"Very well."

They talked through the night until they both began nodding off. Loki, still weak, succumbed first, leaving Harry to awkwardly sit and wonder where he was supposed to go and if it was appropriate to stay in the same room. Thankfully, JARVIS came to his rescue.

" _There is another bedroom made up for you just across the hall, mister Potter_ ," came the soothing voice from the ceiling.

"Thanks," Harry yawned as he quietly made his way out of the room and into the one across from it, set up and decorated similarly to Loki's. "And it's just Harry, please."

" _Of course, Harry. Breakfast will be served in the kitchen one floor below at 9am. Would you like me to provide an alarm_?"

Harry didn't answer, having passed out the second his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts, the sun was just beginning to rise over the mountainside surrounding the castle. Albus Dumbledore sat calmly at the desk in his office, though inside his mind was working furiously. Where was Harry Potter? What was the purpose of the ridiculous story of the god Loki being the boy's mother? How had Thor managed to kidnap him so easily, to a place not even Fawkes could find? He would have the Phoenix try teleporting to the boy again in a few hours in case he was moved elsewhere.

He looked up as Professors McGonagall and Snape entered. Minerva looked frazzled, while Snape looked even more displeased than usual.

"You summoned us, Headmaster?" He drawled.

"Yes," Albus replied. "I have been unable to locate Mister Potter. I fear it is time. We must reassemble the Order of the Phoenix."

* * *

And that's it for chapter two. Hopefully it fulfilled your expectations and wasn't too ooc. I have no idea how many times I rewrote the Harry/Loki scene, trying to mesh Lily and Loki's personalities together in a believable way. Gah. It still doesn't feel right to me but I've gone numb to it after rereading it so many times.

Those of you familiar with the mythology might have noticed I changed a few small things and made up some of my own conclusions where there are gaps in information about Loki's kids (mostly the Narfi/Nari/Vali thing) to keep it more consistent with the version of Loki in this au. I also kept that part intentionally short, so if anyone felt lost don't worry; you'll get more detailed pieces of their stories as Harry does.

 **Chapter Fun Fact:** You can actually catch a glimpse of Sleipnir in _Thor_ when Odin arrives at Jotunheim to rescue Thor  & Co. from starting a war with the frost giants.

 **Next time:** Harry meets the rest of the Avengers and learns how a bunch of muggles managed to find him when gods couldn't. The truth about the Dursleys comes out, as well as the events of Harry's first three years of school, much to everyone's displeasure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Updates:** Chapter four will probably be delayed, as I'm going on vacation soon and then starting a new job right after I get back. It may take some time to adjust to my new schedule.

 **Pairings:** The current pairing in the lead for Harry is… no one! I'm surprised but also cool with writing gen; teen fledgling romance is not exactly my area. The pairing in the lead for Loki is Tony.

I'd like to clarify here that regardless of pairings chosen, this is NOT a romance story and so relationships will stay a very minor aspect of the plot. Any romance for Loki will also be very far off in the future so don't expect to see it any time soon. Things will be kept age-appropriate for both the rating and the characters themselves.

 **Extras:** We now have cover art! I hope you guys like it although I must warn you, I'm a thousand times more picky and flaky about my art than my writing, so it will likely change a few times throughout the story.

Thanks again to _Terra King_ , for asking all the right questions to help me pull this thing together.

* * *

Harry awoke to the muffled sounds of traffic and blinding morning light streaming through the windows as their coverings receded into the walls. He rolled over, groping for the curtains around his four-poster bed to close, before it registered that this was not the Gryffindor boy's dormitory. He shot up to a sitting position as the memories of the previous night slammed to the forefront of his mind.

He felt shocked and giddy and nervous all at once. His mother was just across the hall, alive and breathing, albeit in a different body. He had spent the night in the newly famous Avengers Tower, and would probably even get to meet some more of them! Harry wasn't one to fawn over celebrities given his own experience with that form of treatment, but even he couldn't describe the Avengers as anything but _cool._

As he reached for his glasses on the bedside table, he realized that JARVIS had been speaking to him this whole time.

"I'm sorry, what?"

" _It is now 9am, September the 2nd. It is 64 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy. Breakfast is being served in the communal kitchen one floor below. There is a bathroom behind the door to your right, toiletries and fresh clothes have been left there for you._ " The AI informed him.

"Okay, thank you." Harry mumbled, rubbing his hands against his face in an attempt to wake up more fully. He went through the motions of brushing his teeth and washing his face before the information caught up to him.

September 2nd. He groaned quietly to himself. It was the first day of term, and he was all the way on the other side of the globe. Harry hoped that his new schedule didn't include Potions on Mondays; the other teachers might be understanding of his situation but Snape surely wouldn't be if he skipped his class.

He banished thoughts of the unpleasant Professor from his mind as he changed into the clothes piled on the counter beside the sink. They fit surprisingly well; a cotton white t-shirt with the Avengers "A" symbol emblazoned on the front in blue and simple black trousers. His reflection looked strange in this pristine white bathroom, wearing clothes that were not oversized hand-me-downs or school robes for once. He futilely attempted to tame his hair before finally leaving the room.

Harry paused in the hallway, wondering if he should go to the kitchen or to Loki's room across from him first. He deliberated for a moment before continuing on toward the elevator. It was far too early in the morning for awkward emotionally-charged conversation with his resurrected mother.

* * *

Harry attempted to quell his sudden unease as the elevator doors opened up into another open floor plan common room similar to the one he'd waited in yesterday. This one was clearly more lived in however, sharp angles softened by small personal touches. Colorful pillows and blankets rested on the couches, with various plants and decorative objects strewn about nearly every flat surface.

"Come on over kid, don't be shy." Called a voice from his left, where a small kitchen was tucked neatly into the corner of the room. Harry rounded a few cabinets as he stepped into the kitchen area and caught a glimpse of the speaker.

He immediately recognized the man across from him as Tony Stark, billionaire inventor-turned hero. Iron Man. He and Stark Industries had been the subject of many rants by Uncle Vernon, who seemed to view Stark as his own personal nemesis ever since his company added drills to their long list of non-military products, putting them in competition with Grunnings.

Harry decided to like him on principle. Stark looked like he'd been awake all night working; hair sticking up even worse than Harry's, clothes rumpled, and covered head to toe in oil stains. There was a curious blue circle of light radiating out from the center of his chest. He was drinking a dark green shake of some sort that vaguely resembled Flobberworm mucous. Harry grimaced at the thought as the man spoke up.

"Tony Stark, at your service. Call me Tony. That's Bruce over there," He gestured to a mousy, unassuming looking man Harry hadn't noticed, who was sitting quietly at the large kitchen counter. He waved a hand in greeting.

"You might know him better as the Hulk." said Tony, as though he were imparting some great piece of gossip. Harry blinked at this, but otherwise had no real reaction. He'd seen a man turn into a monstrous wolf, and another into a rat. A giant green man wasn't very exciting to someone who spent a lot of time around wizards.

"Nice to meet you." Harry said as he sat down on the stool to Bruce's right. The man seemed surprised by this, but smiled softly at him.

"Well since normal people who didn't pull all-nighters are showing up now," Bruce started with a pointed look at Tony "I suppose I'll start breakfast." He got up and shuffled over to the stove, pulling things from shelves as he went.

"Are you implying that I'm anything but the picture of normality?" Asked Tony in a mock-affronted tone. The two men bantered back and forth while Harry sat awkwardly at the counter. He waited for a lull in the conversation.

"Can I do anything to help?" he asked Bruce.

"Sure. Can you make the pancakes? And _you-"_ Bruce turned to Tony "set the table. After the last time, you're never allowed to cook for us ever again."

"Oh come on, it was one time! It's not like I meant to start a fire-" Tony protested, but Bruce just shoved a stack of plates in his hands.

"Okay, Nat and Clint are back from their mission so we're feeding eight people this morning, three of which have super-human appetites, so make a whole lot, and then make more. Pancake mix is in that cabinet there." He told Harry, but Harry had already found the ingredients to make the batter from scratch.

The two of them worked quickly and easily, while Tony grumbled behind them about being relegated to table-setter.

"Hey guys." Came a new voice from the doorway. There stood a muscular blond man with bright blue eyes. He had clearly just come inside from a run, he was wearing workout clothes and sweating slightly.

"Oh, hello." He said upon noticing Harry by the stove. "I'm Steve Rogers, nice to meet you."

" _Captain America."_ Tony stage-whispered helpfully.

The Captain shook Harry's hand quickly then stepped back. "I'm gonna go change quick and round up everyone else." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Everybody's up and ready in seconds for missions but plan a team breakfast and suddenly we've got a tower full of Sleeping Beauties."

Harry smiled at Tony's sense of humor as he dished out pancakes. Tony and Bruce's easygoing attitudes had done wonders for settling his nerves, as did keeping his hands busy with cooking. It was the one chore at the Dursley's that he didn't hate, even though he would be punished for the slightest mistake. But maybe he could finally get away from them, now. He did his best to push down the fledgling hope growing in him; he'd felt the same before when he met Sirius and had been shipped back to his relatives anyway. Loki was obviously dangerous, despite Clint's explanation of the Chitauri invasion. He doubted that the Wizarding World would be much more accepting of Loki than they were of Sirius.

Harry nearly dropped the spatula. _Sirius._ Loki could prove that Peter Pettigrew had been the Secret Keeper, and that Sirius was innocent! He grinned at the thought as he finished and Bruce directed him on where to put everything away. He sat down while the other man began pulling out drinks.

"So er, how did you guys find me?" asked Harry. "Heimdall said he couldn't, and muggles can't see through wards…" Tony puffed up with pride as he launched into his explanation.

"Easy! While Loki was still too out of it to help, JARVIS and I hacked into your records. Ran your yearbook photos through facial recognition software and got a hit on King's Cross Station security cams. Loki confirmed that meant you were probably at magic school and gave us the coordinates. Then you know the rest."

Harry nodded. He had no idea that muggle technology could do that but well, it was Tony Stark. Despite the embarrassment of Thor's arrival in front on the entire Great Hall, he was suddenly very grateful that he had come there, rather than the Dursley's. He shuddered as he imagined _that_ reaction.

Harry felt something behind him, and spun around to meet the eyes of a red headed woman who had just entered. The Black Widow. She was dressed in a striped long sleeved shirt and black leggings. Her movements were completely soundless as she moved across the floor.

"I'm Natasha." She greeted as she sat on the stool to the left of Bruce's.

"Harry." Said Harry, although he was sure that everyone in the tower already knew his name. Natasha nodded in reply.

Just as Bruce finished handing out glasses and placing drinks on the center of the counter, Steve returned. Behind him trailed Clint, Thor, and Loki. Harry couldn't help his heart skipping a beat as his mother entered the room. He still couldn't quite believe it, and seeing him in the daylight helped the entire experience to solidify in his mind.

"Smells _amazing."_ Said Clint dreamily.

Loki gravitated toward Harry, taking the seat to his right, the corner of the counter between them. Thor clapped a hand to Harry's shoulder as he passed, choosing the seat across from Harry and beside Tony. Steve and Clint sat at the opposite end and across from Natasha, respectively.

By some unspoken cue, everyone dug in at once. It didn't take long for the silence to be broken. By Tony, of course.

"What the hell. I didn't know pancakes could taste this good." There was a muffled chorus of agreement. "Mini Loki can _cook_!"

"I can't believe this came out of _your_ kitchen." Snarked Natasha. The table lapsed into smaller conversations amongst praise of the food.

"Nephew, have you any tales of your life you wish to tell us? What sorts of magical beasts have you faced?" asked Thor excitedly. Harry thought for a moment.

"Well there was a mountain troll in first year. That's actually how Ron, Hermione and I became best friends. Hermione hadn't heard the announcement about it getting into the castle, so Ron and I went to find her. The troll got to her first and we, er, kind of accidentally locked it into the bathroom with her."

"What exactly is a mountain troll?" asked Steve.

"Just what it sounds like," answered Loki tersely. "Great ugly creatures with low intelligence and a penchant for violence. They average at about twelve feet tall."

"Yeah…" continued Harry, trying to ignore the concerned eyes on him "I er, jumped on its back and shoved my wand up its nose, and Ron levitated its club above it. I jumped off, and he let the club fall, which knocked the troll out."

"And where were the staff during this? How did it get inside in the first place?" Loki demanded.

"Oh, that was Voldemort." Harry answered automatically, before realizing his audience. "The staff were right behind us." he added hastily as though it would help stave off Loki's angry reaction to the news of Voldemort's involvement. He and Harry had discussed Voldemort's defeat the night before, though Harry had deftly avoided mentioning his other encounters with the Dark wizard.

He needn't have worried. While the Avengers seemed confused, Loki did not look angry. He looked… deflated.

"The protection I used… the one that gave you that scar, it should have killed him. I should have known he'd have some sort of trick up his sleeve. We died for _nothing."_ Loki spat.

At once Harry realized that for Loki, for _Lily,_ it must have felt like only a few days had past since that night. Both halves of him were grieving, one for lost years and one for a husband brutally taken. And then finding out that her final sacrifice had been in vain, had not vanquished their killer in return.

"N-not, not nothing." Harry consoled weakly. "He was banished into some kind of spirit. He was gone for 10 years. He only came back because he was possessing a professor."

Thor placed a comforting hand on Loki's arm, but the other god shook his head, and stood up.

"I need a moment." He said and walked briskly out of the room. An awkward silence descended over the group. No one knew what to say.

"So… a wand up a troll's nose? How gross was it when you pulled it out?"

"Are you _actually_ five years old, Barton?"

Harry laughed, and if it was the tiniest bit hysterical, nobody said anything. The tension eased.

* * *

Harry had just finished giving the Avengers a basic explanation of Voldemort and pureblood supremacy when Loki returned. She was in Lily's form once more, and Harry couldn't deny that he felt comforted by it. He'd take any he could get, judging by where this conversation was going.

"Explain. Every detail." She told him. So reluctantly, Harry told the full story of his first year at Hogwarts, ending with Voldemort's disappearance and the destruction of the Philosopher's stone. There were various pauses for reactions and questions from the others, but Loki simply kept her eyes on Harry's the entire time, saying nothing.

"Such an adventure, for one so young." Thor said softly.

"Let's move this conversation somewhere more comfortable, shall we?" said Tony, and before anyone could answer he was already out of the kitchen and tossing himself on one of the armchairs nearby. The rest of them cleared their plates (the remains of breakfast had long since grown cold) and joined him.

Harry found himself nestled comfortably between Loki and Thor on one of the sofas, when Loki finally spoke again.

"Have you had any more encounters with him?"

Harry winced, and haltingly began the tale of his second year. At the mention of Tom Riddle's diary, Loki's eyes narrowed. When he told of the monster petrifying students, she rested a hand on his arm. When he talked about the chamber, and the shade of Voldemort, her grip on his arm was close to bruising.

When he got to the poisoned fang in his arm and phoenix tears, she drew him into an abrupt hug. Her hands were shaking. The others he could see past her shoulder looked gravely concerned.

"It-it wasn't that bad." He offered, but Loki's arms only tightened around him.

"Yes it was." She countered viciously. "I've seen how fast Basilisk venom kills. No child should have to face that." Harry rested his forehead against her shoulder, relishing in the comfort the contact offered as he remembered.

"...I thought I was going to die." He whispered into the fabric of her sleeve. He pulled back as he continued at a normal volume. "But Fawkes was there, he cried on the wound and it healed right up. He flew us all out and we were all fine. Except for Lockhart." he amended.

"Please tell us your last year wasn't that bad." said Clint incredulously.

Harry sighed. Everyone else sighed in response. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, looked at the floor and tried to stay calm.

 _What the hell is wrong with that school?!_ They all thought simultaneously, on Harry's behalf.

Harry really didn't want to talk about his third year; about Sirius, and Wormtail, and Dementors. He'd already shared so much of himself with near strangers in just a few short hours.

Slowly he began his final tale. He skipped past his blowing up Aunt Marge and running away. Loki sucked in a breath when he described the Dementors, but smiled softly at the appearance of Remus Lupin.

 _I heard you die_ , he did not say. When he spoke of his Patronus, she stopped him, eyes bright.

"Please, would you demonstrate for us?" Harry reached for his wand in his pocket before remembering.

"I-I can't. I'll be expelled for using magic outside of school-" but she interrupted him, holding out a hand.

"Give me your wand, I can remove the Trace for underage magic." He handed it over. Loki ran both hands carefully over the wood, and the wand flared with white light for a moment before it faded. "Please." She said again as she pressed the wand back into his hand.

Harry thought of green eyes and comforting arms as he pointed his wand toward the ceiling and said the incantation. The silver stag erupted from the tip in a shower of light, more solid and brighter than he'd ever seen it before. There were a few soft noises of surprise throughout the room. Clint let out an impressed whistle.

"Hello Prongs." said Loki, voice choked. The stag circled the room once before returning to Harry, seeming to acknowledge her words with a regal dip of the head.

"Sorry, no Dementors here." Harry dismissed gently. Prongs dissipated into smoke, which quickly faded away.

"Wow…" breathed Steve. Everyone seemed to take a moment to absorb what they'd just seen before Thor finally nudged Harry into continuing.

The presence of the Patronus lifted the spirits of the room's occupants, but it wouldn't last for long. Harry tried to delay the inevitable for as long as possible by avoiding Sirius's name, describing him as a nameless criminal, but finally he had to explain just how devastating the effects of Peter's betrayal had been.

Loki paled and held on tighter. Her arms had reached for Harry again as his story grew darker and darker. He continued until Sirius's escape on Buckbeak the hippogriff before finally stopping, voice hoarse from overuse.

They all sat in a miserable silence for several minutes.

"Harry." Loki's voice cut through, suddenly focused intently on his face. "If you didn't grow up with Sirius or Remus… who raised you? Alice and Frank?"

"Who?" Harry had never heard of anyone by those names. Loki's face twisted with grief again.

"Your godmother and her husband. Tell me, who was it?" Harry fidgeted, gaze cast downward.

"...Aunt Petunia." He said to the floor, aware of the suspicious and worried eyes on him. Loki's nails dug painfully into his shoulders.

" _ **What."**_

But whatever else Loki was going to say was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a Phoenix in a burst of flame.

* * *

Ooh, sorry to end it there on a semi-cliffhanger but otherwise this chapter would have ended up three times as long. Hope it didn't disappoint. Remember to leave a review on your way out, and cast your vote for pairings you'd like to see!

 **Chapter Fun Fact:** The day Harry and Ron rescued Hermione from the troll was the ten year anniversary of his parents' deaths. October 31st is just never a good day for Harry.

 **Next Time:** Harry's new family reacts to the revelations of his childhood, and many plans are made for the future. Harry learns a bit about the American wizarding world.


	4. Chapter 4

So luckily for you guys, this chapter wasn't nearly as late as I thought it would be since the place I'm staying at unexpectedly has wifi and I am a kind and benevolent dictator who has answered your cries for more...

 **Pairings:** No pairing is still in the lead for Harry, with Hermione and Daphne tied for second only a few votes behind. FrostIron is also still in the lead. Voting for Harry's pairing will continue until the Yule Ball chapter, while Loki's will keep going on for a while past that.

 **Extras:** Thank you _Terra King_ for being the very best sounding board.

And thank you to _Kara Malarkey_ ; your review was so lovely I just want to roll around in it like a cat.

Also bless everyone who takes the time to write individual reviews for each chapter as they read. You guys are the best.

* * *

Harry startled backward as Fawkes appeared before him, fire and smoke dissipating as quickly as it arrived. The phoenix trilled happily upon spying Harry unharmed. Vibrant wings flapped once, twice, and suddenly Fawkes was diving toward him, talons outstretched. Harry instinctively flung a hand up to protect his face but there was no need. Loki's hand had shot out in a flash and plucked the bird clean out of the air by his tail feathers.

"No!" she growled. Fawkes struggled, flailing wildly in an attempt to escape from the god's iron grip. He made to disappear into flame but still could not break free. Steam leaked from the spaces between Loki's fingers, which had taken on a curious blue sheen. The air around her crackled with magical energy. Red hair waved about on a non-existent breeze and green eyes took on an unearthly glow. She appeared every inch of the god(dess) she claimed to be, even clothed as she was in borrowed, over-sized sweatpants.

"What is that?!" "What's going on-" came various shouts from the room's other occupants. They were ignored. Loki stood, bringing up her other hand to hold Fawkes' upper body still.

"Harry," she said slowly, barely contained rage in her voice. "I want you to pen a letter to your headmaster. Reassure him that you are in good health and shall be returned to Hogwarts within the next 24 hours, whereupon the situation will be explained to him in full. And tell Dumbledore to keep his crooked nose out of your family affairs. I do not appreciate his lackey attempting a kidnapping, nor do I appreciate his complete disregard of the instructions in my will! You were never to be sent to those wretched people!" Loki was breathing harshly by the end of her impromptu shouting. Fawkes now appeared to be squawking in pain, rather than indignation. Loki took a few deep, slow breaths and loosened her fingers though her hair continued to float above her neck as her magic sparked around her dangerously.

Harry's mind was reeling. He could have, _should_ have grown up away from the Dursleys, and Dumbledore; his mentor and possibly even a grandfather-figure had been the cause of his terrible life with them! His positive image of the wise old Headmaster was abruptly shattered into a thousand pieces. Harry found himself quickly running through every interaction he'd had with the man in a very different light. He thought back to the end of his first year, when he had asked Dumbledore why Voldemort wanted to kill him so badly… how many other things was the man hiding from him?

Bruce passed over a notepad and pen he had retrieved from a nearby end table, a sympathetic look on his face. Harry pulled himself from his upsetting thoughts and reached for them with a shaking hand. He scribbled a quick note, trying to keep the feelings that were rapidly bubbling up inside him under control. It took far more effort than it should have to not include a pointed comment about his home life in the letter, or to fill it with questions.

 _Professor Dumbledore,_

 _I'm fine. Thor took me to see my mother in New York, where they confirmed what he told us in the Great Hall. We'll come back sometime today or tomorrow the same way we left and they can explain in more detail._

 _Harry_

Harry tore out the page he'd written on and before he could do anything more, Loki snatched it from his hand and shoved it at Fawkes. The bird curled his talons around the paper with a reproachful look at his captor.

"Take this to your _master_ , and do not come back here." She told Fawkes as she released his feathers. The phoenix took to the air once more, sporting what was likely the angriest facial expression physically possible for a bird. He listened to her orders however, and let out a sad warble in Harry's direction before vanishing into flames once more.

Loki sighed with relief but did not sit back down. Instead she tapped Harry gently on the shoulder.

"Come," she said. "Let us move this conversation to a place with more privacy." Harry swallowed, apprehensive, before he rose to follow. He was not looking forward to this conversation. Already the past two days had been the most emotionally taxing of his entire life. He could tell that his mother already had an inkling of what he'd been through but it still wouldn't make it easy to talk about.

Thor fell in line behind them, and Loki made no move to dissuade him. The look she shot the rest of the Avengers however, clearly said "Stay away".

* * *

"What was that all about?" asked Bruce as the three magic users disappeared into the hallway beyond.

"Loki just found out that this Dumbledore guy placed Harry with abusive relatives, which Loki apparently specified in his will Harry should never have gone to." answered Natasha in a matter of fact tone. "He then sent his magical teleporting bird to steal him back to England." She did not seem outwardly phased by these events, unlike Steve and Tony clearly were. Their brains still seemed to be struggling to reboot after witnessing a Phoenix in real life.

" _I apologize for being unable to stop the intruder, Sir."_ JARVIS spoke up.

"That-That's okay J," answered Tony. "I'd be more worried if you actually had come up with safety protocols for magic fire turkeys."

"Harry's been abused?" Steve backtracked the conversation, eyes wide.

"Yeah..." replied Clint. He leaned forward as he filled Steve and Bruce in on what the others had witnessed and discussed the night before. Natasha turned to Tony.

"You might want to delete your records of Harry's home address, or at least keep it hidden from Loki for a while." she advised.

"No way, then he'd come after me! Or she? How does that work?" Tony rambled. "Seeing Momma Loki was all kinds of confusing let me tell you; you know I have a thing for terrifying redheads." He waggled his eyebrows at Natasha appreciatively. She rolled her eyes at him.

The Avengers sat in silence, pondering what to do next.

"Wonder what they're talking about in there…" said Clint. Tony fidgeted, fingers drumming an unintelligible rhythm on the arm of his chair. He leaned forward.

"Well you know… it _was_ part of Loki's agreement with SHIELD that his rooms are all to be monitored by JARVIS until we're satisfied he won't go evil on us again…"

"Tony no, we can't spy on them-"

"Cool it, Cap. We'll turn it off as soon as they're done and they'll never have to know. J, if you would please?" Tony gestured vaguely to the ceiling. JARVIS acquiesced without a word and pulled up the security footage of Loki's room on the large flatscreen before them. Steve squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, but his protests fell silent as they all turned to the screen together.

* * *

"-wasn't that bad, really." Harry was saying, but it was clear that Loki and Thor were unimpressed with his story. The former had reverted back to his male form, looking tired and pale. Harry wondered why Loki kept changing into Lily if he was too weak to maintain the illusion, and to whose benefit he kept it up, exactly. Speaking of which…

"Er, what should I call you?" Harry changed the subject. Loki stared at him with a slight upward quirk of his lips. He knew exactly what his son was trying to do but decided to allow it for the moment.

"You may call me whatever you wish, though I will understand if familial endearments do not come easily to you. You may also use whichever pronouns you deem appropriate. I have no preferences." Loki said vaguely. Harry frowned. That wasn't exactly helpful, although he was glad to know that he wouldn't offend if he referred to Loki as female out loud. It was surprisingly simple to think of him in different names and pronouns. Already Harry felt used to his dual nature.

"Now," his mother continued. "You will not be able to worm your way out of this conversation my little liesmith; I am not known as Silvertongue for nothing. It will be many centuries before you reach my level of word manipulation. So tell me the truth; what did my rotten mortal sister do to you?"

Harry sighed, looking back and forth between the two gods seated across from him on the bed, seeing only fierce determination from Loki and gentle encouragement from Thor. He took a moment to organize his thoughts.

"Well they, they didn't love me, or even like me really...but life was mostly er, okay with them except for when I used accidental magic or did anything… 'freaky'." Harry avoided their eyes, picking at the hem of his shirt.

"Like what?" Thor pressed, obviously curious about the Midgardian magic previously unknown to him.

"Er… I once grew all of my hair back overnight when Aunt Petunia cut it off. And I think I apparated once, onto the roof when Dudley and his gang chased me at school."

"Dudley is the name of your cousin I presume?" asked Loki. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous name, unknowingly echoing the same movement of several of the Avengers a few rooms away. Harry nodded.

"Another time I vanished the glass to a snake exhibit at the zoo," Harry reminisced, a little vindictively. "Dudley fell right in. The snake got free; he thanked me on his way out." He idly wondered what had happened to it. Harry continued on, naming the other incidents he remembered. Loki began to look thoughtful.

"Magical children's accidental magic tends to predict the type of magics they'll excel in. Would you say that you are good at Charms and Defense?" He questioned. Harry nodded again.

"Defense is my best subject." He added. He liked charms as well. It contained the most useful spells, in his opinion. Whereas Transfiguration could get very repetitive, Charms and Defense remained interesting and varied.

"The incident of growing your hair may imply latent metamorphmagus abilities, or you may have gained some of my own talents for shapeshifting and illusion… and a Parselmouth as well…" Loki trailed off, clearly thinking hard but uninclined to share.

Harry blinked at this information. He had wondered if his surprise Asgardian heritage would mean anything strange for his abilities or body. He figured he'd ask more about it later. Loki moved on; eyes narrowed.

"And how exactly did they punish you?" He asked carefully, sharing a meaningful glance with Thor. Harry fidgeted and looked down at his lap; missing it entirely.

"They… locked me in my cupboard under the stairs." He mumbled quickly, as though if he said it fast enough they might not hear. The two gods' eyebrows furrowed in similar expressions of rage.

"Er… Uncle Vernon smacked me around sometimes, and Dudley and his gang would try and corner me a lot at school..." Harry bit out slowly. Why was it so hard to admit these things? He didn't think that the Dursley's treatment had mattered all that much to him, but talking about it to people who seemed genuinely concerned and angry on his behalf was enough to make Harry feel choked up. No one had ever listened before.

"Th-they starved me sometimes. Lied to me. Until I was 11 I thought you and Dad were drunks who died in a car crash!" Harry exclaimed. That part still stung. He could understand Aunt Petunia's hatred of him, and even his dad, but he couldn't understand her extreme hatred of her own sister, or why she'd gone so far as to lie about her to Harry. As someone who had longed for a family or siblings his entire life, he just couldn't understand it.

Thor's face had grown stormy as Harry talked, while Loki looked as though he could set the Dursleys on fire with only the force of his glare. Outside of the room, the Avengers reacted much the same.

* * *

Steve looked like he was a few seconds away from exploding into a furious rant. Bruce seemed a bit green around the edges. The scientist plugged his ears as he took a few deep breaths; he didn't want to hear any more, reminded too much of his own unfortunate childhood. Clint and Natasha appeared unaffected, though the set of Clint's mouth and the tap of Natasha's foot betrayed their feelings to those who knew them.

"Okay, that's it." said Tony. "Let's make this kidnapping official. JARVIS, would you let Pepper know to make plans for putting up Loki and his spawn in the tower, officially?" He looked up at the ceiling, uncomfortable with the gooey, approving feelings the others were sending him with their faces. He had a heart, okay? And Harry was really rocking the whole 'pathetic lost orphan' thing.

Any further discussion was halted by JARVIS.

" _Incoming message from Director Fury."_ Announced the AI. Tony waved a hand in response. The security footage on the screen blinked away, replaced by a view of Nick Fury seated at a desk in what appeared to be SHIELD Headquarters.

"Sir." Steve, Clint, and Natasha chorused. Fury glared at all of them with his one eye.

"Where's Thor?" He asked, searching the room for the missing god of thunder. "He better have a damn good explanation for why I'm getting reports of him abducting some metahuman from supposedly one of the most fortified places in Europe."

Just then, said god shuffled back into the room, followed by Harry and Loki, their conversation apparently put on hold for now. Fury's eye widened upon focused on Harry.

"Oh _hell_ no. Tell me that is not Harry Potter in your tower right now. Are you _trying_ to cause an international incident?"

"It is. He's Loki's kid." Tony blurted as he pointed a finger at them. He did so love making Fury annoyed. Harry shifted nervously.

"Loki's kid." Fury deadpanned. He scrubbed a hand down his face and breathed in deeply through his nose. "I'll repeat: you better have a damn good explanation."

Harry tried not to stare too much at the man, Fury, as the Avengers filled him in on Harry's situation. He was clearly in charge and a government official of some kind. He was also extremely intimidating. Harry watched with interest as Thor fumbled through an apology for causing trouble in Magical Britain though he clearly didn't see any problem with his actions. Fury obviously realized it too, because he cut the God of Thunder off abruptly.

"Just promise me you idiots won't do something so stupid again without running it by SHIELD first." He sighed.

"Wait." Said Natasha. "Why do you know who Harry is? How long has SHIELD known about magic?"

"Most governments are in the know. We were going to bring your team in on it if and when it ever became relevant. In fact, several of my agents are wizards. They stuck to the shadows during the Chitauri incident, helping with the evacuations." Many intrigued looks were traded around the room.

"Why haven't any of them joined the team?" Asked Bruce.

"There's a law. Strictly enforced: no exposure to the outside world." Fury answered succinctly.

"Obliviators will erase the memories of any non-magical person who witnesses magic, and the wizard who performed it is fined or imprisoned, based on what they did." Harry added, guiltily remembering the incident with Mr. Weasley's flying car. Fury eyed him shrewdly, but didn't seem to mind the interruption too much.

"Anyway; don't do anything like this again. I want the kid brought in today for a DNA test and NDA signing and then for the love of God, take him back where he came from and calm things down before that dumbass Minister finds out and does something stupid." Harry snorted at the reference to Cornelius Fudge and with that, the screen went dark.

After some muttering between themselves it was decided that Bruce would draw Harry's blood while they were at the tower rather than let some stranger do it, then Thor would accompany Harry to the closest SHIELD base to let them test it against Loki's DNA already on file, and so he could also sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement. Clint explained what that meant to Harry while Bruce left the room to collect his supplies.

"It basically just means you can't tell anyone about SHIELD or Fury or any mission related information you might pick up from us."

Harry nodded as Bruce returned. He directed Harry to hold out an arm. Loki hovered over them both, a distasteful expression on his face as he eyed both the needle and the oblong scar on Harry's forearm left behind from the Basilisk fang. It was a little awkward yet comforting, and unbeknownst to the two of them, adorably endearing to everyone else.

Bruce capped the vial of blood as he finished and taped a bit of gauze to Harry's arm. The vial went into a specialized container that resembled a lunchbox, which he passed to Thor.

"Come along nephew." Said the god as he led Harry back through the tower to the balcony they had first arrived on. He was expecting Heimdall to transport them instantly to some drab government building, so Harry was rather shocked when instead Thor grabbed him around the waist and flew them up into the sky.

It wasn't as comfortable as riding a broom but exciting all the same. Harry couldn't keep the wild grin off of his face as they climbed higher and higher at ridiculous speed. The city streets rushed along below; a blurred kaleidoscope of color and sound. He should have been worried about falling but Thor's grip was firm yet comfortable.

The ride was over all too soon as they came to a stop on the roof of another modern glass building. It wasn't nearly as flashy as Avengers tower, but it wasn't hideous either. It seemed calculatedly simple and unassuming; perfect for a secret agency like SHIELD.

Thor scanned his thumb on a pad near the door. There was a quiet beep, and then they were in. The interior of the building was harshly lit and plain. Harry stuck closely to Thor, uncomfortable. The agents they passed ignored them, walking briskly to wherever they needed to be without pause. The two finally came to a stop at an office door. The nameplate designated it as belonging to an "M. Hill".

M. Hill turned out to be a slim, brunette woman with a no-nonsense attitude named Maria. She directed them to sit, taking the container with Harry's blood from Thor and pushing a stack of papers across her desk. Harry took the papers and Agent Hill walked him through the agreements he was to sign. Harry did so as quickly as possible, signing and initialing about a dozen different lines. Agent Hill stood swiftly, scooping up the pages as Harry finished.

"If you'll follow me, I'll drop this off at the lab for testing and you can wait there for the results. It should only take twenty minutes or so." She was already walking away with the vial, expecting them to fall in behind her. They did, moving down a few more floors until they arrived at what was clearly a futuristic science lab. Agent Hill handed the vial to one of the people milling about in lab coats, along with another form of some kind. She then directed Harry and Thor to a bench outside of the lab to wait, and let them be.

Thor clapped a hand to Harry's shoulder and kept it there, a comforting weight. Harry marveled at the sensation. He'd never experienced any physical contact from the Dursley's that wasn't unpleasant in some way, and had only received rare hugs from his friends, but here his mother and uncle were almost constantly giving him reassuring touches. Was this what it was like to have a real family? Harry leaned into the touch slightly, a small smile pulling at his lips. They sat in comfortable silence until Agent Hill returned.

"It's official, you're the son of Loki." She told Harry as she handed over two sheets of paper. "Here's your copy to keep. The original will stay in our records." She didn't appear surprised by the results; either she had already been briefed on the situation or just had a really good poker face.

Harry stared reverently at the papers in his hand. The first page confirmed that Loki was indeed his parent while the second confirmed that Loki's DNA was a match to one Lily Potter. Harry briefly wondered why SHIELD had access to Lily's DNA, but decided that it wasn't very important in comparison to just what these papers meant for him. The tiny lingering doubts in his mind were blown away by this tangible evidence of his relation. Loki and Lily Potter were one and the same.

Thor patted his back soothingly as Harry discretely wiped his eyes.

"Okay, let's go back." Harry said as he stood, folding the papers into his pocket.

"Home." Thor corrected with a smile. This time Harry didn't even try to keep the grin off of his face the entire ride back to Avengers tower.

* * *

Upon landing they were immediately greeted by Tony and Loki and the news that Harry really could make the tower his home, if he wanted. Harry's eyes darted quickly back and forth between the three smiling men and the shining building before them, overwhelmed.

"R-really?" He couldn't help but ask, and received three affirmative answers. He leaned slightly into Loki's side, not quite ready to initiate a hug but wanting the contact anyway. The god placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing him in close.

"Yes. Stark, it seems, has a habit of collecting interesting strays." Loki murmured.

"Thank you, all of you." Harry said quietly. They all returned to the same common area from before, though only Natasha had remained, reading a book in a language that Harry didn't recognize.

"Clint got called out for a mission, and Bruce is down in the lab." She informed them.

"Ooh, speaking of the lab, could I run some experiments on you sometime?" Tony asked Harry. "Loki mentioned that magic doesn't work well with electronics and I love a good challenge." Harry stared dubiously at the man's rather manic expression, but nodded.

"Not today Stark." Said Loki. "Harry and I have more to discuss." Tony nodded, still grinning, and left for the elevator with a jaunty wave. Loki, Thor, and Harry sat down, this time on different couches rather than sharing the same one.

"We have many plans to make. Firstly, your godfather and Remus. Do you have a way to contact them?" Loki asked. Harry nodded.

"Yes, although Sirius hasn't replied in a while." Harry hoped he had written a reply and that it was simply waiting for him back at the castle. It was worrying that it was taking so long, but he _was_ on the run.

"I want you to explain everything to them, and send them here, to me. I have much to ask of them." Loki ordered with a strange emotion in his voice. "I also want you to tell me about Albus Dumbledore; everything he's ever spoken to you, anything he's told you regarding Voldemort, or your aunt, or the safety of Hogwarts. I wish to be prepared for when we meet again." He added with a predatory smirk.

Harry obliged, and began to talk, starting with Dumbledore's orders for Hagrid to deliver Harry's Hogwarts acceptance letter. They talked for some time, though Loki gave no indication of what he planned to do with the information Harry gave to him. They eventually moved on to the Ministry of Magic, the current Minister, and Sirius's lack of a trial. Harry listened, fascinated, as Natasha joined the conversation then and she and Loki began to form a rough legal strategy for freeing the innocent man, and how to punish those who had been involved with his imprisonment.

The conversation eventually turned to amusing anecdotes of missions Natasha and Clint had completed for SHIELD, and various battle stories from Thor. The hours flew by until it was nearly dusk, and Loki stood.

"It is time for you to return to school before that old fool comes for you again. I will not be joining you at this time, though I will visit soon to speak to you and your...esteemed Headmaster. Thor will accompany you...and Natasha, if you would? I believe your particular way with words may be helpful in this endeavor." She looked up at him, surprised before a smirk spread across her face.

"Sure. Just let me change first." Natasha answered as she also stood, walking to the elevator. Harry and Thor rose from their seats as well.

"You may write to us if you require anything." Loki told Harry warmly. "Use the long-distance school birds, rather than your own, they will travel faster." Harry nodded. Loki embraced him tightly. Harry returned the gesture as best he could. They stepped apart as Natasha returned, now clothed in the black leather suit of the Black Widow. She smiled.

"Shall we, boys?"

* * *

There it is! Sorry you won't be getting your Loki/Dumbledore confrontation for a little while, yet. Hope you all enjoyed, and remember to leave a review and vote for your preferred pairings.

 **Chapter Fun Fact:** I had to write this entire chapter outside in the sun, because the wifi here only reaches a tiny portion of the building, which does not include my room. It's way too hot for this.

 **Next Time:** The news is broken to Dumbledore. Harry learns of Hogwarts' reactions to Thor's appearance and Harry's heritage. Loki and the Avengers plot.


	5. Chapter 5

And now for chapter five. We should hopefully return to a more normal schedule now for the rest of this fic, if we're lucky. Thank you everyone for being cool about it.

I'd also like to reiterate here that barring some catastrophic event in my real life, this story won't be abandoned! The number of reviewers that were practically begging me not to was a little saddening. I can't blame you though, there are fics I love that were abandoned years ago that I still check periodically, hoping… and I don't want to put anyone through that with any of mine!

 **Pairings:** I figure I'd include numbers, at least for the top pairings so everyone can get an idea of how possible their fave is, so for Harry we have:

No pairing/Gen: 14 votes

Hermione: 8 votes

Luna: 7 votes

Daphne: 5 votes

And for Loki we have:

Tony: 12 votes

No pairing/Gen: 3 votes

Sirius: 2 votes

I'm impressed with the number of rarepairs in the reviews as well, which you will all probably get to see at some point in my new story, which brings me to…

 **The Obligatory Plug:** My second Harry Potter fic is now up on my profile! It is a collection of oneshots revolving around fandom tropes, secrets, and all kinds of drama. The next chapter is about secret relationships, so take your pairing suggestions for HP on over there and you'll probably see them written!

 **Extras:** As usual, thank you to _Terra King_ for being awesome and making me think about details that I never would have otherwise.

And a shoutout to a couple reviewers who shall remain nameless for now for correctly guessing bits of future plot, some of which was very specific. Did you guys steal my notes somehow?

* * *

With a call for Heimdall and a rush of color, Harry, Thor, and Natasha disappeared from Avengers tower and reappeared just before the gates of Hogwarts, close to where Harry and Thor had left from earlier. Harry had no idea what the time was, but it was clearly late at night. Very few candles were lit in the castle windows and there were no students wandering about so he figured it must have been past curfew. Thor pushed the heavy iron gates open like they were nothing, and their odd group of three strolled across the grounds.

"So what does this place actually look like?" Asked Natasha. "It's just rubble to me." Her expression was blank, but her stiff gait revealed her discomfort. She was powering through the compulsion that told muggles to leave through sheer force of will.

"Oh, right. Er… here." Harry murmured as he recalled the Muggle Repelling wards. He reached out a hand to the woman beside him, blushing furiously. She arched a brow at him, amused, but took it. The tiny smirk faded from her face though as she was finally able to see Hogwarts in all its glory. Natasha carefully catalogued the sensation of magic flowing from the point of contact between their joined hands as she took in the view.

"Huh. Impressive." She visibly began to relax, paranoia lessening as her perception was no longer being altered.

"It is indeed a fine building!" Thor said. "...For Midgardian craftsmanship." He added cheekily. Harry normally would have argued against that, but even with his love for the old castle he had to admit that Asgardian architecture was literally quite beyond anything on Earth. They continued across the expansive lawn. The giant squid waved a tentacle lazily in greeting as they passed by the lake. Thor looked ready to bound over to it, but a sharp glance from Natasha brought him back in line, disappointed.

As they neared the doorway to the Entrance Hall, the great wooden doors opened of their own accord, revealing Professor McGonagall standing within. She looked even more stern than usual; tired and the least collected than Harry had ever seen her. It must have been even later at night than he thought. Her expression softened slightly upon Harry coming into view before hardening once more as her eyes roved over the two Avengers on either side of him.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall said dryly. "...and guests."

She turned away without another word. Harry followed, belatedly remembering that he could let go of Natasha now that she was past the outside wards. He yanked his hand away. Natasha opened her mouth, likely to make a teasing comment, but closed it again as she caught a glimpse of the Great Hall and its remarkable ceiling.

"I can see why you like it here." She told him quietly.

They walked the rest of the way to the Headmaster's office in silence, though the paintings they passed were not so; whispering and staring from their frames. Thor had to be subtly pulled away by Natasha from a painting of a group of Vikings. One of the men at the forefront of the painting with wild hair and wilder eyes was jumping up and down and pointing excitedly at the god. Thor waved at him apologetically as they rounded the corner.

Professor McGonagall spoke the password to the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office ("Ice Mice"), and the familiar spiral staircase came into view. Thor brushed past Harry to follow McGonagall, and Natasha fell to the back of their group, keeping Harry placed protectively between the two Avengers.

Professor McGonagall opened the door to the office without knocking, leading them into the considerably crowded rounded space. There were a number of people scattered about inside whom Harry did not recognize. He did however spy Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Remus, as well as the House Heads. The new Defense professor, Moody, was also present. Harry scanned the crowd, hoping to see Sirius standing amongst them, but was disappointed.

Headmaster Dumbledore sat behind his desk, as usual, with blue eyes twinkling behind half-moon spectacles, also as usual. But his expression appeared off to Harry; out of place amongst the serious and pensive faces surrounding him.

"Oh Harry dear, I'm so glad you're alright!" cried Mrs. Weasley as she swept Harry up into a suffocating hug. It was thankfully short-lived as Dumbledore called for everyone to be silent.

"Please take a seat everyone." Said Dumbledore, conjuring three additional chairs in the empty space directly before his desk. Fawkes trilled happily as Harry came near. Harry petted his head apologetically, focusing on the phoenix to avoid the many eyes on him.

"Sorry about yesterday, Fawkes." He whispered. The bird warbled neutrally in response and leaned into his hand. Dumbledore cleared his throat, and Harry sat down, once more in the center between Thor and Natasha.

"Yes. You gave us all quite a fright, my boy. There was a rather large uproar when you disappeared. Now, would you and your companions mind explaining yourselves?" He peered at them over his spectacles, eyes searching.

"Er… well, Thor took me to see my mother, who really _is_ Loki. He was telling the truth." Harry said. "I have proof here…" Harry remembered, pulling the DNA results from his pocket and unfolding them.

"It's a muggle test, to see if people are related." Harry explained simply as he pushed the papers across Dumbledore's desk. He wasn't sure how familiar the Headmaster was with muggle science. Dumbledore said nothing as he read the results carefully.

"We also have photographic proof." Natasha spoke up, pulling a set of glossy images from one of the many pockets of her suit. Harry blinked at her in surprise as she slid them over as well. He didn't remember any photos being taken. From his upside-down view, he could see that they were of himself and Loki side by side at breakfast, one while in male form and one in Lily's. There were timestamps in the bottom corners. They must have been pulled from JARVIS's security footage.

"There is video as well, though I'm told that electronics won't function here. We would be happy to take you outside of the wards if you'd like to see it, unless you wizards have a spell for this?" Natasha spoke in an oddly sweet voice, as though she were trying to appear as harmless as possible.

"Wait, she's a _muggle_?" One of the men seated behind Harry asked incredulously. Uncomfortable mutterings broke out amongst the room's occupants in response. Mr. Weasley however, looked downright excited by this revelation.

"That's Black Widow! One of the other Avengers from the newspapers!" Exclaimed another, causing a new flurry of whispers.

"Er… Professor Dumbledore, who are all these people?" Harry asked.

"Times were very dark during the first rise of Lord Voldemort, Harry." Dumbledore said as he looked up from the documents in front of him. "The Ministry could only do so much, so I founded and led a group of talented young witches and wizards in the hopes of standing against him: the Order of the Phoenix. While your...unexpected journey was not likely related to Voldemort, I thought it prudent to summon them once more in order to find and return you safely home."

Harry wanted to ask more questions about the Order, such as: _why did they have to be here right now for this conversation?_ but that short description appeared to be all Dumbledore cared to explain. Where Harry once may have accepted the simple explanation, with his new perspective on the man it was just another infuriating example of things being kept from him.

"Now, who here can vouch for the accuracy of these muggle tests?" The Headmaster asked the room.

"I can." Called out Remus. He squeezed Harry's shoulder as he moved past him toward Dumbledore. He paused as he caught sight of the photographs, wide eyes filled with pained emotion. He picked up the DNA results and read them over quickly.

"Muggles have a way to test blood and tissue to see if it matches another's, somewhat similar to the potions we have in order to test someone's lineage. These results...appear to be genuine." Remus said, swallowing thickly as he handed the papers back to Dumbledore. He stumbled back to his chair and collapsed into it, staring blankly ahead as he processed the news.

"They could have been easily faked." Came a nasally voice from behind the rest of the room's occupants. Harry turned around in his seat to see Professor Snape emerge from his shadowed position leaning against the wall. The man sneered as he passed. He picked up the test papers, face pinched. Harry glared at him. Thor and Natasha did the same.

"Now Severus," Dumbledore placated. "I trust Remus' judgement. After all, these people have no reason to lie, yes?" He looked deeply into Thor and Natasha's eyes in turn. Thor frowned while Natasha met his gaze evenly. Harry watched with amazement as Snape rounded the desk to inspect the papers and reacted similarly to Remus. The Slytherin Professor's emotions were kept in tighter control, but he couldn't quite hide the shock from his expression and...hurt? as he took in the photographs. His face quickly reformed into its usual sneer while he resumed his original position by the wall.

"However," Dumbledore continued. "I cannot release Harry into your care. If Lily Potter, or Loki, as the case may be, is willing to meet and prove herself capable, then we may talk. Until then he shall remain here in the castle."

Harry frowned. ' _Prove herself capable'_? What exactly did that mean? And ' _then we may talk'_? He couldn't even make a simple agreement without giving himself an advantage! Natasha and Thor seemed to have picked up on it as well.

"Of course," Natasha said pleasantly. "Loki wishes to _talk_ to you too; about multiple issues, but is unable to travel easily in his current state." She crossed her legs, straightening her spine as she leaned back in her chair.

"I'm sure, leading an alien invasion and pretending to be a dead woman must be terribly taxing." Snape said snidely. Natasha just smirked, not bothering to face him.

"Believe what you will. I do have to wonder though; do you really think that you, any of you, have a chance against two gods? Plus the Avengers who took care of that invasion for you all."

"Loki is innocent. My brother was not in control of his actions that day." Thor added, who had turned in his seat to glower at Snape.

"That is good to hear, Mr. Odinson." Dumbledore smiled as he folded his hands before him on the desk, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I would be remiss in my duties if I were to allow Harry to fall into the hands of a mass murderer, you understand."

 _You mean like all the times you left me to face Voldemort alone?_ Harry thought sarcastically.

"I will require some proof of that as well." The Headmaster said, pleased. Natasha's eyes narrowed. So that was his play; to discredit Loki and the Avengers in order to keep Harry in his control and away from them.

"The artifact responsible for the mind control is currently being held in a secure facility for study. I can't allow you access or any further information about it than that."

A small smile appeared on Dumbledore's face for a split second before disappearing into a neutral expression. Natasha folded her arms, closing off her body language in a calculated display of insecurity. _Got him_ , she thought, avoiding the man's eyes as Loki had instructed so that he would not overhear her internal crow of victory. Now he would believe himself to have the upper hand. The Wizarding world was not up to speed on the muggle news, where Loki's innocence had been revealed to the public days ago. Dumbledore thought he could use the god's current negative image in the eyes of wizards against him in order to keep Harry away.

"We must also speak about my nephew's safety." Thor said. "He has told us of the adventures he has had here, and Loki is most displeased, as am I." He added, with a razor sharp edge to his voice. Dumbledore's eyes glittered dangerously.

"I can assure you that Hogwarts is one of the safest places in Britain. Our wards are some of the world's finest." He said.

"Not fine enough!" Thor said loudly. Natasha reached across Harry to rest a hand on the god of thunder's arm in warning.

"What he means is, while you may be well protected from outside threats, it's the ones inside that are cause for our concern. Like, say, giant snakes?" She said dryly. Several Order members seemed startled or confused by the pointed remark while the Weasleys twitched at the reminder of the incident that had nearly killed their youngest child.

"I assure you that security has been tightened since then, and there were extenuating circumstances regarding the incidents young Harry has been involved in."

"Such as…?" Natasha pressed.

"That is a topic best discussed in private, I'm afraid." Dumbledore smiled genially, deftly dodging the question. Fine, she'd let that slide for now. Loki could handle it during his own conversation with the man.

"It is getting quite late. Further discussion will have to continue at a later day, for now let us say our goodbyes and retire to our beds." Said Dumbledore. The Order members began to rise from their seats, which they vanished with whispered charms, and gather around the fireplace. The Weasleys hung back. Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry out of his chair and into another hug.

"Don't you ever do something like that again! Oh, when the Headmaster told us you were kidnapped it worried us so much!" She exclaimed as she crushed Harry against her. She finally released him after a long moment.

"I wasn't kidnapped Mrs Weasley, I agreed to go with Thor." Harry said, but Mrs. Weasley just hummed a noncommittal sound and eyed the two Avengers suspiciously as she said her goodbye.

Everyone disappeared into the emerald flames (or walked out through the office door, in the case of the professors) until it was only Professor McGonagall, Remus, and an unknown dark skinned man in the room with Harry and the Avengers. Dumbledore instructed McGonagall to escort Harry to his dorm and the other man, Kingsley, to escort the Avengers from the castle before he took his leave as well, through another doorway that presumably led to his own private living quarters.

Professor McGonagall directed them through the hallways that led to Gryffindor tower, tight lipped and silent once more. Thor and Natasha had chosen to walk with them before leaving toward the other end of the castle. Remus and Kingsley trailed behind. Harry fell back until he was in line with his old Defense Professor. Kingsley moved ahead and to the side, giving them a semblance of privacy.

"You know where Sirius is, right?" Harry whispered. Remus nodded.

"Mum? Er… Loki, wants to meet with you both, and help prove Sirius' innocence. He said to get to Avengers tower in New York as soon as possible." Remus seemed to be slightly choked up by the news, but nodded once sharply.

"I… still can't wrap my mind around this." The werewolf admitted. "It's unbelievably strange."

"Stranger than magic?" Harry asked cheekily. Remus snorted. They walked for a few minutes more before arriving at the tower entrance. The Fat Lady peered at them curiously from her frame. Professor McGonagall said the password and the portrait hole was revealed. Harry turned to the two Avengers. Thor spoke first, placing his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"I am very grateful to have met you, and I look forward to getting to know everything about your life. Fare thee well, nephew. We will meet again soon." He drew Harry into a hug, surprisingly gentle despite the man's size and strength.

Natasha did not hug him. Instead she smiled, a real one this time rather than the fake cheer she had shown Dumbledore.

"See you soon." She said simply. "Try to keep out of trouble for us. Taking over the Wizarding World would be a pain." _But we would do it, if necessary_ she did not say, but Harry heard it anyway. He swallowed. He had only known these people for little over a day but already they had shown far more kindness to him than most.

"Thank you." He said quietly. "Really, for everything." There was a chorus of goodbyes, and suddenly Harry was alone in the darkened Common Room. He trudged tiredly up the stairs, the exhaustion of magically induced jet lag finally catching up to him. He snuck into his dorm as quietly as possible so as not to wake anyone and got ready to sleep.

Harry dropped down onto his four-poster bed, drawing the heavy red curtains shut around him. He exhaled a long breath. What a ridiculous, incredible start to his fourth year. He had discovered his real family, and a kind of extended one in the Avengers, and they were all literal, actual gods and superheroes! He had even called Loki 'mum' while talking to Remus. It had been awkward; the word strange and foreign on his tongue, but he could maybe see himself getting used to it at some point in the distant future. Maybe only when Loki was in female form though. Harry might not care about his mother's unique gender identity, but calling a man 'mum' was just rather weird to him.

He rolled onto his side as thoughts swirled through his mind. The meeting with Dumbledore had been strange. Had all of those other wizards been there to ensure that Harry was handed over to them? Were they really expecting a fight? The Headmaster's vague answers to their questions had been irritating as well. Harry wished they could have discussed the Dursleys and found out just why he had been sent there, but he was grateful that Natasha hadn't brought it up in front of so many people.

His thoughts grew more anxious as they turned to the following school day. What were the other students going to think? Draco Malfoy and the other Slytherins were likely to have several insults prepared. And the rest...Hogwarts students' opinions of Harry were very fickle; he'd learned that in second year with the whole 'Heir of Slytherin' fiasco.

He clung to the knowledge that he would see his family again soon, and Sirius would be freed. He let the warmth of those ideas lull him off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Outside of the Gryffindor tower, Professor McGonagall and Remus split off from the other three, to go to bed and use the Floo in McGonagall's office, respectively.

"I hope you and Mr. Potter know what you are doing." She muttered to the werewolf as they turned the corner.

"I hope so too." He replied.

Natasha and Thor were left with Kingsley to take the long walk back to Hogwarts' main gates. The Russian spy checked her surroundings subtly for paintings that weren't asleep in their frames before speaking.

"Fancy running into you here, Agent Shacklebolt." She said lowly. Kingsley nodded. Thor's head whipped around to look back and forth between the two, surprised. "I always wondered what you kept in that arm holster, never would have guessed it was a wand." They had not worked together, but had been introduced and she had passed him a few times in the halls of SHIELD Headquarters before.

"Director Fury was not aware that you would be coming along on this particular excursion or I'm sure you would have been briefed." He placated.

"Please, like something as simple as an unexpected agent would be enough to trip me up." She scoffed in return.

"My apologies, Widow. I didn't mean to offend." Said Kingsley. "I joined SHIELD after a superior officer took interest in my work during a joint investigation with the Aurors; wizard police." He explained. "I've been feeding SHIELD information on Dumbledore's Order and a few other people of interest within the Ministry for a few years now."

"It is good to meet another Shield brother in arms!" Exclaimed Thor. "We must meet and drink if you are ever within the city. You must tell me more stories about this Midgardian magic." Kingsley seemed rather thrown by the offer, but quickly composed himself and nodded.

"Of course. I'm quite a fan of the Avenger's work, and with Harry Potter involved, Director Fury will likely have me working with you all sometime soon as your liaison to Magical Britain. We can speak more then." He said.

They continued to make simple small talk all the way to the main gates. Thor and Natasha then disappeared in a burst of light, leaving behind yet another large symbol burned into the grass. Kingsley shook his head at the ridiculous form of travel before apparating away to his own home. He had quite the report to write on tonight's events.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Harry, he was not the only person in Hogwarts who was awake at the current late hour, staring at the ceiling. Albus Dumbledore frowned pensively as he recalled the encounter with the two Avengers.

It had been surprisingly difficult to read their minds. The thunder god's was utterly foreign, his alien biology rendering his thoughts unreadable and Albus' Legilimency useless. The woman on the other hand was frustrating in an entirely different way. Whenever he successfully made the required eye contact, her thoughts were carefully simplified, thinking repeatedly only of what she would say next, drowning out any important reactions. He hadn't the time to delve through her memories, though he had noticed a peculiar area of her mind was blocked off by something similar to Occlumency but not quite. She had also avoided looking into his eyes for the majority of the conversation.

Thor and Black Widow… they seemed straightforward enough, and their proof of Lily's true form was rather convincing. They had even returned Harry within 24 hours as promised. But as much as it would please him to see the boy reunited with his mother, Albus could not let Harry live with her in New York.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the god with Harry, if Lily truly existed within him there was no way he could possibly harm his child. It was for exactly this reason he could not let Loki take his son back. Harry needed to die in order for Voldemort to be truly defeated. Lily would never allow that to happen. For all of his skills of manipulation, Albus could never circumvent a mother's love with any amount of logic and flowery speech.

He would keep the knowledge of Voldemort's Horcruxes to himself for now. He was confident in his abilities to take care of them. Voldemort had taken ten years to make an even remotely close to successful attempt at getting his body back, so he had plenty of time. Perhaps he would make plans for Harry to continue in his stead if the worst were to happen. He would have to take precautions when it came to passing on the information however; it wouldn't do to have knowledge of Horcruxes falling in to the wrong hands.

Albus Dumbledore and his chosen few were the only ones capable of handling such an important task. He could not possibly trust the Aurors or the _Avengers_ to be successful in defeating Voldemort. He was the Leader of the Light, and the only person Voldemort even feared. He was the most necessary figure in this fight, and he would be ready when the time came for him to step in after Harry's death. He would defeat the Dark Lord once and for all and restore his family name to greatness. Then perhaps he would finally assuage his guilt that he had carried since the tragic death of his sister, Ariana.

He drifted off to sleep to thoughts of the future, and dreamt nonsensical dreams of snakes and wolves.

* * *

"HARRY!" Came a shout followed by a breeze caused by Harry's four-poster's curtains being violently thrown open as Ron loomed over him. Harry stirred as the rest of their dorm mates reacted to Ron's yelling.

"Harry!" Echoed Neville in surprise.

"M'up." Harry mumbled into his pillow. He sat up slowly, blinking blearily at the orange blur that was his friend. He felt as though he had not gotten nearly enough sleep, despite falling unconscious just minutes after lying down.

"Glad to have you back Harry. We'll catch up with you later!" Called Dean as he herded Seamus and Neville down the stairs to the Common room.

"Where have you been mate? What happened?!" Ron demanded. Harry reached for his glasses first and put them on before answering.

"I… met my mother. She really is Loki. I went to Asgard for a bit, and then I met the Avengers." He summed up quickly. He'd save the longer explanation for Hermione, who was sure to appreciate it more than Ron and ask him a million questions.

"Wow that's… that's just crazy. Absolutely bonkers." Ron told him. "But, er, isn't Loki a bad guy? And, you know...a guy? How is he your mum?" At his friend's utterly baffled expression, Harry began to explain Loki's story as he got dressed and ready for the day. He picked up the shirt with the Avenger's symbol off of the floor, folded it carefully and stuffed it into his trunk. Ron gave it a funny look, but the odd reaction was quickly forgotten as they commiserated over how insane Harry's situation was.

As Harry shoved supplies and books into his bag, Ron gave him a rundown on the school's reaction. Most students were simply confused by Thor's claims, others (the Slytherins) had tentatively accepted it as truth in order to gleefully spread their opinions about Harry's new 'filthy halfbreed' status. A decent portion of the school was excited to have a classmate potentially related to an Avenger. These were mostly fangirls of said Avenger. The staff had remained frustratingly silent on the entire matter. Dumbledore had also temporarily locked down the owl mail wards to prevent students from writing to the Daily Prophet about Harry's disappearance.

"Thanks Ron." Harry said. They walked down the stairs to the Common room together, which was luckily completely deserted. Breakfast had already started, so with a few quick dodges into hidden corridors the two of them were able to avoid running into any fellow stragglers. They finally reached the Great Hall. Harry took a deep breath and braced himself for the numerous questions and insults that were sure to be flung at him. He and Ron walked through the doors together.

It was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

Whew, that's chapter five done. The first half of it fought me like crazy before I finally just focused on Natasha and let her rule the dialogue. Turns out I really enjoy writing her. I also finally understand what other writers mean when they talk about characters controlling what they write.

Sorry you don't really get to see the reactions yet, it just didn't flow right and I'd like to keep the chapters somewhat consistent in length. I think I might actually be incapable of writing more than 5000 words at a time. *shrug* Remember to review with your thoughts and vote for your pairings!

 **Chapter Fun Fact:** I imagine that the painting Thor was fascinated with was of the cast of the tv show _Vikings._ The man jumping and pointing being Floki, of course. Also, why has nobody written fic yet about the Hogwarts paintings being of characters from different fandoms? I guess I have a new one shot to write now…

 **Next Time:** Harry makes a new friend and attempts to navigate his classes and the school's gossip. Various Avengers play therapist for Loki, who isn't adjusting as well as he pretends to.


	6. Chapter 6

I am so sorry for the delay everyone! Personal life got really busy without my permission.

 **Pairings:** I'd like to remind everyone that despite the voting, romance is still NOT going to be a major part of this fic. I'm too lazy to write out the numbers this time but Gen/No Pairing is in the lead for Harry with Luna very close behind, and FrostIron is still the overwhelming lead for Loki.

 **Obligatory Plug:** If you enjoyed the drama of the first chapter of this fic and/or want to see your favorite pairings and rarepairs come true in my writing, go check out my story _Harry Potter and the Big Reveal_. Next chapter is in the works.

 **Extras:** Thank you to _Terra King_ for being a fountain of great ideas (happy belated birthday)!

I've gone back to previous chapters and edited an error I made in terminology regarding Loki/Lily's form switching. It's a full shapeshift, not an illusion as I've mistakenly referred to it as. If anyone notices other mistakes such as this, please let me know! And thank you _Lydia-Hood_ for bringing this one to my attention.

Also, I had to majorly fudge some parts of Harry's class schedule because it doesn't make any sense in GoF so if anything there seems off, you know why.

* * *

When Harry entered the Great Hall, a wave of silence rolled over the room as the students took notice. The noise level dipped considerably with surprise, then redoubled in volume with excited chatter. He slunk quickly over to the Gryffindor table, nearly sighing with relief when he spotted Hermione, Ginny, and the Weasley twins huddled at one end with a space left open large enough for himself and Ron. Neville, Dean, and Seamus sat beyond them at a respectable distance. The slight buffer between him and the rest of Gryffindor House wasn't likely to help much, but Harry was touched that his friends had made the effort to keep him sheltered from the stares and questions.

"Harry!" Hermione called in surprise as she lifted her head from the book before her and made eye contact. Harry smiled weakly as he sat down across from his bushy-haired friend, settling in between George and Ron, who had taken the end seat.

"You're back! I can't believe you just ran away from school like that! Even if it was to go with Thor!" Hermione exclaimed; relieved smile melting into an indignant frown. "You could have been hurt, or even expelled!"

"What happened, Harry? Where did you go?" Fred asked as he leaned across the table toward him. Harry nibbled on a piece of toast as he explained.

"Thor was right, Loki really is my mum. They-they're really my family." Harry marveled at the concept, still unused to the idea. "My mum didn't know she was Loki until the night she er, died and woke up back on Asgard as Loki."

Harry paused then, only to be bombarded by further questions. He tried to ignore the way the rest of the table had gone silent as he continued; everyone within earshot was clearly hanging on to his every word with intense curiosity. The story would likely be circulated throughout the entire school by the time the first class of the day finished. He rushed through a simple explanation, wanting it over with as soon as possible so that his student life could go back to normal.

"So Loki was sent down to Earth just like Thor was, but without his memories?" Ginny confirmed after Harry finished. Hermione opened her mouth to speak next, presumably to ask a hundred more questions, but Ron beat her to it.

"But Loki is evil!" He exclaimed. "He's the one who caused those aliens to attack New York, and the Avengers fought him off, right?" Harry shook his head, but Hermione was the one to answer Ron's question.

"Honestly, the Wizarding World is so closed off from the rest of the world sometimes. It's been all over the Muggle news that Loki was innocent! Someone else was controlling him, similarly to how Dark wizards use the Imperius curse." She said huffily. The other Weasley children exchanged dubious looks with each other before tacitly accepting the news. Ron's brows furrowed.

"That's convenient, 'innit? Are you sure he wasn't just faking it?" He asked Harry. Harry frowned in return, recalling the way the Malfoys and other Death Eaters had avoided prison by claiming they'd been Imperiused. But then he thought back to his long talk with Loki, of the real pain and regret in his face and voice. He shook his head.

"No way. The Avengers even confirmed it. He and Thor are staying in the tower with them."

"You met the _Avengers_?" Fred and George asked in unison.

"Oh forget about them," Hermione dismissed flippantly. "What about Loki? Does that make you half Asgardian, Harry? Why did Loki lose his memories? What are you going to do now?" She rattled off questions, practically vibrating in her seat with the force of her enthusiasm. She tilted the book she had been reading up so that Harry could see the title: _Myth and Religion of the North_.

"How much of our knowledge about Norse mythology is accurate? Oh, there's just so much to learn! Do you think tha-" Hermione was interrupted this time by Ginny.

"Maybe we should keep the interrogation to a minimum, at least until Harry has a chance to adjust to all this first." She reasoned with a pointed look at the witch beside her. Hermione flushed with embarrassment, but nodded. Harry smiled gratefully at the youngest Weasley. She blushed and looked back down at her plate.

"I'll tell you guys more later." Harry promised with a glance at the rest of Gryffindor table. His friends took the hint and fell silent. He didn't want to reveal any more while so many other students were listening. Harry managed only a few more bites of his breakfast before he was interrupted once more, this time by Professor McGonagall. She handed him a few sheets of paper.

"Your class schedule, Mr. Potter, and your DNA test results. You left them behind in the headmaster's office." She told him promptly. "You will be expected to make up any work you've missed before the end of the week, and due to your rather...unique circumstances, you will not be required to serve detention for your willful absence."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief at that, and took the papers as McGonagall walked back over to her seat at the Head table. Fred snatched the test results out of his hand as Harry focused on his class schedule. He had missed Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Double Divination yesterday and today he had History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Potions. _Eurgh._

"What's a DNA test?" asked George as he peered at the papers his twin was holding across from him curiously. Hermione seized them from Fred, who gasped at her in mock-offense with one hand placed dramatically over his heart. He quickly fell silent as she spoke.

"It's a muggle way to see if people are related, or to try and match a sample of blood or tissue to a specific person. It's mostly used to investigate crimes, but it has other uses too." Hermione answered succinctly as she poured over the information.

"Hey-" Harry reached to take the pages back but Hermione trapped them under her finger as she pointed at a specific line of text. _Status: Human (magical),_ it read. Harry craned his neck to read it from a less upside-down angle.

"Look, this says that you're completely human, Harry." Hermione actually seemed disappointed by this, though for Harry it was comforting to have confirmed. He hadn't noticed that part before; being too focused on the paternity aspect of the test.

"Loki's doesn't say anything, but Lily Potter's status is listed as the same as yours." She noted with surprise. "Loki is described as a shapeshifter many times in Norse Mythology so I was picturing something similar to the abilities of a metamorphmagus, but to actually change species all the way down to a cellular level! That's- well, godly I suppose. I wonder how..." Hermione's enthusiastic rant trailed off as she became lost in thought. Harry took advantage of the reprieve to gently pull his papers out from under her hands and place them safely into his bag.

Breakfast ended shortly after that, and Harry trudged off to History of Magic; Ron and Hermione following dutifully behind.

* * *

It was still night in New York City, though several floors of Avengers Tower were still awash with light. Loki sat at the bar in the kitchen of his and Thor's shared floor. The God of Thunder had already retired to his bed, but Loki could not sleep yet. He stared at the many lights reflecting from the streets below without fully seeing them, too caught up in his own thoughts. He mulled over Thor and Natasha's recounting of how their conversation with Albus Dumbledore had gone.

The foolish man had fallen for the Black Widow's pathetic damsel routine just as Loki himself had, allowing her to determine his most likely course of action. If he thought that he could outmaneuver both her _and_ the God of Lies… well. Dumbledore was in for quite the surprise. He had also attempted to read their minds, as predicted. Even when Loki had been just Lily she had been discomfitted to learn of the ability, for it could be so easily abused. It was this seed of doubt that had eventually led her to perform the ritual that had saved Harry's life, rather than trust the Headmaster's protections. They had been right to be so wary of the man.

Loki who was also Lily shook their head slightly, as though the gesture could chase away the odd double-think he'd lapsed into. Separating his mortal life from his current one was difficult at times. It was a side effect he'd experienced before after shifting for long periods, only now it was greatly worsened due to the memory loss. Lily Potter, while retaining enough of Loki's magic to turn her original mundane infant body into that of a witch, had not retained Loki's personality. It would take time for the two fundamentally different versions of himself to merge completely. In the meantime…

This form chafed him. Loki may have felt differently about gender by nature due to his shapeshifting, but Lily had been a woman at peace with her body and sex. The part of them that still felt like Lily was uncomfortable in male skin. As long as Loki continued to shift between forms when the feeling got overwhelming, it would fade eventually. Still, it was an irritating waste of his pitifully empty reserves of magic.

Destroying the mind controlling influence of the Other had drawn out great amounts of Loki's power as fuel for the task, and destroying the memory block had drained the rest. The shock of it all kept his strength from returning as quickly as it should. Loki grit his teeth. He hated feeling so weak and helpless. If his magic was at adequate levels he would have destroyed Albus Dumbledore already. But it wasn't and so Loki had been forced to make a difficult choice: send his son back into the man's clutches, or risk an attack on himself he may not have been able to protect Harry from. Not to mention the Avengers. While they seemed to have tentatively accepted Loki into their lives, he wasn't fool enough to think that they would forgive him bringing more danger into their home. He intended to milk their alliance and Tony Stark's hospitality for as long as possible, for Harry's sake. The sooner his strength was replenished the sooner he could steal Harry away, keep him safe, where he would never feel pain or sadness again.

Loki's heart, frozen though it may be, ached at the thought that he had failed yet another child. He would have quite a bit of work ahead of him to gain the boy's trust and rebuild their familial bond, as well as protect him from Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Odin.

Foolish old men, the lot of them.

Loki's arm blurred into motion. He hardly registered what had happened even as the untouched glass of water in his hand shattered impressively against the window. He watched the droplets slide down its unmarred surface dispassionately. The unerringly polite voice of JARVIS pulled him from his melancholy as his name was spoken neutrally, though he could hear the hidden warning within. Loki idly wondered if Tony Stark truly understood the life he had created. He tilted his head toward the ceiling thoughtfully.

"I'm listening."

* * *

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat as yet another student carefully levitated an airplane-shaped note onto his desk where Professor Binns wouldn't catch it. This time it was from a Ravenclaw student Harry didn't know the name of; a tall boy with dark blond hair. Harry pointedly crumpled the note into a ball without unfolding it, irritated past the point of caring if it made him seem rude. The Ravenclaw frowned at him, offended, but didn't try again.

Harry sighed as he swept the crumpled note into his bag with the rest to throw out later. After reading the first one from Lavender Brown which asked: _Is it true? You can tell me_ , he had ignored them all. There was no way that he would actively participate in gossiping about himself. It didn't matter what he said anyway, the other students would believe whatever they wanted to about Harry and his new family situation regardless. He'd learned that the hard way in his second year.

Over half of the school didn't read the muggle news and therefore didn't know that Loki was innocent of the crimes he'd been accused of, making the gossip all the more "scandalous". Harry could only hope that the true story broke to wizarding news soon, preferably before Professor Dumbledore lifted the wards for the owls and everyone wrote home to their parents and to the Daily Prophet about what had happened.

He slouched low in his chair, scowling. He tried to ignore everyone around him and focus only on Professor Binns and his droning voice. He was a bit too successful however, and the combination of little sleep and the old ghost's lilting tone sent him drifting off to sleep at his desk.

Roughly forty minutes later Harry was prodded back into wakefulness by Hermione, who lectured him and Ron both about dozing off in the first History of Magic class of the year during the entire walk back to Gryffindor tower for their free period. At the mouth of the hallway leading to the entrance of the Common Room, Harry stopped suddenly. He was sure to be surrounded by everyone inside when he stepped in. He wanted to discuss the previous day with his friends privately before facing the curious masses.

"Let's go to the library instead." Harry told them. "To talk." He added hastily when Ron gave him an incredulous look. He and Hermione agreed, anxious to hear the details of his time with the Avengers, and they turned as one back the way they came from.

The library was mercifully empty except for a handful of older students milling about one of the far shelves at the back of the room. Hermione led Harry and Ron over to a secluded spot near one of the windows with a small table tucked underneath.

"So what was it you didn't want to have overheard at breakfast?" She asked as she pulled out a chair.

"Just some… private details I didn't want to answer a thousand questions about. I wouldn't be able to explain much anyway, Loki sent me back here before I really got to ask him for more information." Harry was annoyed by that. His mental list of things to ask Loki about was already growing too long to remember without writing down. He would definitely take him up on the offer to write letters right away.

"What private details?" Ron pressed eagerly.

"I have _siblings_." Harry blurted. "I was _never_ supposed to live with my aunt and uncle but Dumbledore specifically put me there and I don't know why. Tony Stark invited me to live in his tower and I have _no idea what to think about any of this!_ " He stood abruptly, raking his hands through his hair as he began pacing.

"It-it's just so crazy and it's too much and everyone keeps looking at me like I'm some kind of freak!" Harry ranted, venting his frustrations to his friends, who were looking rather shell-shocked.

"Siblings-!" "Living with the Avengers-!?" Hermione and Ron exclaimed at the same time. Ron continued first.

"Mate, this is a good thing. You've got a chance to get away from those awful muggles and live with an actual team of _superheroes_. How is that not exciting?!" He asked. "It's not like the school hasn't gone all weird on you before. They'll get over it eventually. You should enjoy this."

Harry offered Ron a halfhearted smile in thanks, but he couldn't bring himself to relax and take his advice. He couldn't just let himself 'enjoy this'. There was still so much to figure out. He didn't know any of them, not really. There was no guarantee that he'd be safer better off with his new family, regardless of how well their first meeting had gone.

"Siblings!" Hermione exclaimed again. "Harry that's wonderful. Are they Asgardian? Did you meet them?"

"Er, I think some might be Asgardian but some are actually magical creatures? I don't know how that works. And no, I didn't meet any, although I did get to see Asgard for a few minutes." Harry answered, crossing his arms and leaning back against the bookshelf behind him. Hermione's face lit up while Ron's remained neutral, if a bit confused.

"Do you mean Loki's mythological children like Fenrir and the World Serpent are real?" Hermione asked while she dug into her bag for her mythology book, flipping through its pages hurriedly. Harry nodded.

"Incredible, so what did-" Hermione was interrupted from her fact checking by Ron.

"What was Asgard like?" He questioned, a bit starry eyed at the idea of the gods' realm.

"Er… very shiny." Harry answered lamely. Nothing he could say would really do the place justice. He decided to describe Heimdall and his experience with travelling via the Bifrost instead. Hermione grinned widely as another piece of Norse mythology was confirmed to be fairly accurate.

"Oh. That reminds me, I was going to bring him some books about magical wards." Harry said, remembering that he was, in fact, in the library.

"Those are… four rows over that way." Hermione directed him. "Should be somewhere in the middle shelves. I'd like to grab some more mythology books myself." She pulled Ron up by the arm and began dragging him off in the opposite direction from where she had pointed Harry.

Harry pushed off from the shelf he was leaning against and headed over. The aisle of shelves was thankfully unoccupied. He squinted at the titles for a long moment before pulling down the ones that sounded the most useful. He paged through _The Beginner's Guide to Warding_ to see what was inside and found himself making a mental note to come back and learn more later. It seemed that interesting things could be done with warding, and it couldn't hurt to know more about them. He turned the corner, so focused on his books that he almost collided with another person that was entering the aisle.

Harry noticed the green and silver tie first, followed by platinum blonde hair, before finally taking in the girl's face which sported a rather unimpressed expression. She looked him up and down, ice blue eyes lingering just a second longer on his lightning scar before snapping back down his own eyes.

"Potter." She acknowledged in a far more neutral tone than he usually heard from Slytherin House.

"Er…" Harry replied eloquently. He didn't remember the girl's name though he knew she was in his year, and occasionally hung out with Pansy Parkinson.

"Daphne Greengrass." She introduced herself primly. Harry waited for her to move so they could go their separate ways, but she simply stayed where she was, staring at him with a calculating expression.

"Nice to meet you?" He told her, though it came out of his mouth like a question.

"It is." She agreed mildly as she finally stepped to the side. Harry walked past her warily, half expecting her to fling an insult or a jinx at him. Just as he was about to leave the aisle she spoke again, quietly.

"Draco Malfoy has already found a way to contact his father about your...new heritage. I don't know what he's planning to do, but I suggest you get ahead of the story if you can. I know you abhor being in the spotlight, but you should use it to your advantage in this case or else Malfoy's version of the story will become the one everyone believes." Harry stood up straighter, eyes widening in surprise.

"...Why are you telling me this? I thought all of you Slytherins hated me."

"Not all of us are 'evil slimy snakes' or whatever you Gryffindors like to call us." Daphne replied haughtily over her shoulder. "And a true Slytherin knows the value in having a powerful ally, regardless of their status."

"You want to be my ally?" Harry asked, confused. Daphne turned to face him again, their positions in the aisle now reversed. She peered at him shrewdly.

"Something bad is coming." She said cryptically. "I want to be on the winning side." And with that, she walked away, curls bouncing lightly against her back as she disappeared around the corner.

Harry was left standing at the mouth of the aisle, utterly bewildered. Unsettled, too. Daphne had reminded him uncomfortably of the Black Widow and the way she had thoroughly manipulated the Headmaster with nothing but a soft voice and a smile. The advice about Malfoy appeared genuine however, despite her ominous last words. Harry couldn't see how any of it could have been a sneaky way to mess with him. He decided to take her words at face value.

He would keep this odd encounter to himself for now, Harry thought as he made his way back to his friends. He had some important letters to write.

* * *

Steve's head jerked up suddenly as his sensitive hearing picked up the quiet footsteps of someone entering the gym behind him. He steadied the swaying punching bag in front of him as he turned to face the last person he'd ever expect to be joining him; Loki. The god looked exhausted and skittish, scowling at Steve as though daring him to comment on Loki's presence there.

After a tense moment of silence Steve turned back to resume his workout, content to go on as though he were alone. He'd let Loki come to him first if he was here to talk. It seemed that they were both here for the same thing however; to hit things until they weren't so angry anymore. Loki had rolled up his sleeves and taken up position in front of another bag across the room. The quiet gym filled with the sounds of fists meeting their targets and harsh breathing as they worked out their separate frustrations with their hands.

Steve wouldn't go so far as to say he understood how the god was feeling right now but… he could relate to losing time. For Steve it had been the whole world, and for Loki it had been a family, but what was the difference really, when it came to losing them? It was obvious that Loki had been putting on a brave face for the kid, and that he was desperate to protect and get to know his son. Steve was dragged from his contemplation abruptly as Loki's bag slammed against the wall with a mighty crash, sending all of the exercise equipment in its path flying. Steve was no stranger to accidentally destroying equipment, though the fact that the bag burst into flames immediately after gave him pause.

"Don't bother, Captain." Loki said flatly as Steve reached for the fire extinguisher near the door. He waved a hand and the flames dispelled, leaving behind only burnt leather and a few tendrils of smoke.

"That didn't help." The god said flatly to the ceiling.

" _Apologies._ " JARVIS's artificial voice filtered through the speakers above their heads. " _This method is quite beneficial to both Captain Rogers and Thor for obtaining a sense of calm, making it a suitable option to relieve stress for one such as yourself. I shall recalculate a new suggestion._ "

"Don't bother." Loki repeated. "I have a better idea. If you wouldn't mind, Captain?" He gestured to the mats to his right, the ones used for hand-to-hand combat training. Steve blinked at him in surprise before mulling over the idea and finally nodding his acceptance.

"Call me Steve." He answered, unwrapping his hands while Loki tied his hair up into a messy tail, obviously uncaring of his appearance. Like this, he looked nothing like the god the Avengers had fought against, Steve thought. He seemed like just a normal man, and a frail one at that without the added height and flair his dramatic horns and armour gave him. Steve was careful not to underestimate him. He knew from sparring with Thor that Asgardians had greater strength than most humans.

It meant that Steve was prepared for the force of the first blow he blocked easily. Sparring with Thor did not fully prepare him for sparring with Loki, however, who was far quicker than his brother, both in footwork and in strategy. He fought more like Natasha; all lightning fast reflexes and intricate moves designed to use an opponent's own weight against them. He was rougher than either of them around the edges, more wild.

They were fairly evenly matched, though with no magic, no shield, and both of them holding back Steve knew it was not anything like how a real fight between them would go. Loki looked as though he could collapse at any moment. His strikes remained powerful but his aim gradually grew sloppy. His features twisted in rage that was clearly directed at someone else. Steve eventually found himself being used as a stand-in punching bag, staying in a defensive position, blocking every blow he could as Loki's attacks came faster and faster before suddenly halting.

Loki dropped his arms to hang limply at his sides, panting. Steve breathed a tiny sigh of relief, pulling the hem of his shirt up to wipe the sweat from his brow. The super serum would heal his bruises before tomorrow morning, but they still hurt for the moment. Loki let his hair down as he walked away.

"Thank you." He muttered as he closed the door quietly behind him. Steve said nothing in return as he watched him go. He turned back to all of the ruined equipment and sighed, louder this time.

Steve didn't mind training with his Asgardian comrades, but did it always have to involve half the gym being destroyed? He began cleaning up, guiltily wondering how much it would all cost to replace. Tony may have seemingly limitless amounts of wealth, but Steve grew up during the Great Depression, and it was hard to shake the instinctive worry about money.

He hoped that at least the one sided spar had helped Loki to work off some of his anger. None of them, Steve included, had expected Loki to be so cooperative and easy to be around when it came to living among them. Thor had argued hard against his brother being locked up in some SHIELD base, eventually leading to the compromise of sharing his floor of the tower where he could be kept under constant surveillance.

It had been awkward at first; everyone wary of the reformed villain. It had been Clint, surprisingly, who had extended the metaphorical first olive branch and relaxed his guard around Loki. The archer confided with the rest of them later that they had reached an understanding based on their mutual suffering under alien mind control. After that, Loki could be found skulking around the communal floors instead of staying holed up in his room, and he even joined their team meals occasionally, trading dry sarcastic remarks with the rest of them. Without anyone fully realizing it, Loki had carved out a space for himself within their lives.

There was obviously a deep pain within Loki, but Steve was confident that his team would eventually heal it, the same way his fellow Avengers had helped to heal his own. Helping Harry Potter transition into their lives would go a long way toward helping the god.

Steve grinned to himself as he returned to his own room to sleep.

* * *

Transfiguration class went by quickly and easily with Professor McGonagall watching her students like a hawk. She ensured that any incidents of gossip or note-passing were swiftly dealt with, for which Harry was extremely grateful. McGonagall seemed especially disappointed in some of her Gryffindors' behaviour, and in the middle of the lesson she suddenly switched topics, giving an intense yet vague speech about House loyalty. Most gossips in the class appeared suitably cowed, though Harry doubted how long that would last amongst the bolder students.

He found his attention to his spellcasting waning, thoughts inevitably turning toward what to put in his letter to Loki and wondering what he should do about Daphne Greengrass' odd warning. What would Draco and Lucius Malfoy do with the news? Take it to the Daily Prophet, probably. Would Harry be able to stop whatever they planned by writing a letter of his own to the paper? He could theoretically get past the anti-owl wards through the hidden tunnel to Hogsmeade behind the statue of the one-eyed witch. He doubted that the Headmaster would help him in this, he was obviously uncomfortable with the idea of Loki, and had been almost hostile toward Thor and Natasha during their meeting. After the revelation that Dumbledore placed Harry with the Dursley's against his parents' express wishes, he was loathe to trust the man.

The class was over before he knew it, and it was time for lunch. Harry's friends took up the same clustered position at the end of the table as they had at breakfast. Professor McGonagall's House loyalty speech meant that Harry was for the most part left alone by the students in his year, though that didn't stop the older and younger years, or anyone from other Houses. Colin Creevey in particular looked as though he could spontaneously combust with excitement, stood behind Harry bouncing on the balls of his feet as he pestered him with questions about Thor and the other Avengers. His near worship of the celebrity heroes clearly eclipsed his obsession with the Boy-Who-Lived, making the two of them together the most _exciting thing ever_ , and could Harry maybe get him an autograph?

That opened the floodgates as it were, for other fans of the Avengers team to crowd Harry and beg for more information. Since they weren't direct questions about himself and Loki, he reluctantly began to answer in the hopes that he'd be left alone eventually.

Yes, he went with Thor to Avengers tower. Yes, he met the whole team. No, he didn't see the Hulk transformed or the Iron Man suit. They were all very nice. No, he was not going to bring anyone autographs or other merchandise. Please stop asking about Black Widow's looks. And Thor's biceps.

Eventually the Weasley twins stood up on a bench and began a long, loud, speech about their intended future joke shop and products they had "in development, not for school pranking use of course, Professors!". Successfully drowned out by their noise, Harry's annoying hangers-ons finally dispersed back to their tables, allowing him some peace. He sighed, he needed every bit of calm he could find to fully prepare for Potions class with the Slytherins.

Snape had been glowering at him ever since Harry had sat down. He was sure to be even more unbearable than usual in class. The Potions professor hated him, and held a special disdain for the Boy-Who-Lived celebrity, despite the fact that Harry himself hated it also. Snape would definitely take the entire incident as Harry trying to earn himself even more fame, and do everything he could to punish him for it, no matter how petty.

And then there were the Slytherins. Despite Daphne's earlier claim that they weren't all bad, Harry knew that most would be extra unpleasant to him now. It wasn't anything he wasn't already used to and prepared for, but it was still tiresome. And if he was honest with himself, it _did_ hurt to know that one of the most exciting and happy occasions of his life was material for others to mock and insult him with.

Harry gave a start as he realized; he really was happy. He had been ever since Loki had first transformed and Harry fully believed that what was happening was real. Underneath all of the anxiety and doubt he truly was glad to have his mother back, to have this new chance at having a real family. He'd been focusing so hard on all of the negatives this morning he'd forgotten about all of the good that had come of it.

It was this burst of confidence and self assurance that carried him all the way through lunch and the walk to the dungeons, where his tentative good mood was abruptly shattered by Draco Malfoy.

"So how's it feel to know that your dad was secretly a poof, half-breed?" The pale boy called out from where he was leaning against the stone wall across from the classroom. Harry bristled, but forced himself not to respond. He grit his teeth as a few other Slytherins followed Malfoy's lead and began jeering. He ignored it as best as he could while they all waited for Snape to arrive and unlock the door for them.

Harry's eyes landed on Daphne, who was standing a little further down the hall with another Slytherin girl. She whispered into the other girl's ear before making eye contact with him. She held his gaze for a moment, expressionless, before looking away. He followed her line of sight back to Snape who was approaching the group of students.

"Shut up Malfoy!" Ron snapped in response to something Harry missed while he was distracted. He and Hermione both grabbed their friend to hush him, but they were too late.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for shouting in the halls." Snape intoned as he smoothly passed them all and opened the door to the classroom. Harry exhaled sharply as he filed in behind everyone else.

To Harry's shock, Snape didn't mention anything about Harry's absence or related events. In fact, after he took attendance, he didn't speak directly to Harry at all, not even to deduct points. He still glared harshly at him whenever their eyes met, but his uncharacteristic silence left Harry feeling very off balance. The rest of the Gryffindor students didn't quite know what to make of the temporary truce either, trading confused looks with both Harry and each other. The Slytherins appeared just as surprised by the sudden turn of events though they hid it a bit better.

Snape still took points from the rest of Gryffindor House while rewarding Slytherin, and so the class eventually settled back into normal routine. Harry worked slowly and carefully as he considered Snape's odd behaviour. Why wasn't he making biting comments and punishing Harry for no reason? Was he… afraid of Thor and Loki? That Harry would run to them for protection from the man's unfair treatment? That couldn't be right...

Time inched by achingly slow. The atmosphere grew steadily more uncomfortable as Snape continued snapping at students, even at one of his own House when a mistake kicked up a huge cloud of yellow dust that spoiled everyone else's potions. Gregory Goyle was sent to the Hospital Wing after inhaling his creation horribly confused by the detention he'd received for it. The tension in the air was considerably thicker after that, both Houses united in their puzzlement over their professor.

Harry wasn't alone in practically running to deposit his vial of potion on Snape's desk and flee the dungeons as fast as possible. He was the only one however, who found himself on the receiving end of the man's piercing stare. Harry had no idea what Snape saw there, but he recoiled almost violently back into his desk chair. Paranoia sufficiently ratcheted up to even greater heights, Harry couldn't get out of the classroom fast enough. That had been very unsettling.

"What the bloody hell was all that about?" Ron verbalized what everyone around him was thinking.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me who caused the dust cloud." Neville said from beside him as he appeared to visibly deflate with relief. Harry frowned as he turned over Snape's actions in his head. He still failed to understand what had happened.

What in the world was wrong with Professor Snape?

* * *

Finally, chapter six! Hopefully the extra length makes up for the lateness. I promise the plot will start moving more next time but for now, let me know what you think!

 **Chapter Fun Fact:** Harry's 'new friend' in this chapter was supposed to be someone else entirely, but Daphne surprised me by popping up and bringing in her own subplot. The other top potential romantic interests will similarly get more screentime than in canon, so everybody can get more of their favorites in on the action even if they don't win.

 **Next Time:** Avengers reflect, Harry gains some additional allies, and everybody has a plan.


End file.
